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The NCAA has sent a shockwave through college basketball after warning that March Madness faces a logistical issue that could leave teams stranded on the tarmac.
As 136 men’s and women’s programs prepare for Selection Sunday, a quiet memo has alerted schools that they may encounter travel disruptions en route to the event.
While the organization blamed a ‘partial government shutdown’ for the shortage, the man in charge of the bracket has pointed to a more controversial fleet drain.
‘One of the things that I’ve heard is ICE is taking up a lot of charter planes,’ Keith Gill, the NCAA men’s committee chair, admitted in a candid update this week.
‘I think the charter market is just demonstrably different than it has been,’ the statement read, according to Front Office Sports.
Over the past year, ICE has reportedly operated more than 14,000 ‘immigration enforcement flights’ – a 89 percent increase that has cannibalized the charter market.
The NCAA has sent a shockwave through college basketball after warning that March Madness faces a logistical issue that could leave teams stranded on the tarmac
‘One of the things that I’ve heard is ICE is taking up a lot of charter planes,’ Keith Gill, the NCAA men’s committee chair, admitted in a candid update this week
According to a 2026 report, the administration’s ‘mass deportation mandate’ resulted in over 600,000 removals in 2025, pushing aviation resources to the brink.
This surge means the NCAA’s travel partner, Short’s Travel Management, is now competing directly with the federal government for the same limited pool of aircraft.
A 2025 investigation found that GlobalX – a charter company routinely used by the NCAA – carried out a massive 74 percent of ICE’s removal flights during last year.
The crossover has reached pro sports too, with reports indicating that Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and the Patriots have shared a tail number with the agency.
While the Patriots’ plane was recently used for a humanitarian mission, most available private jets are being funneled into the ‘immigration enforcement’ network.
In its official memo, the NCAA warned that teams must now prepare for ‘extreme flexibility,’ including later confirmation of flight times and smaller aircraft.
‘The logistical challenge of moving almost all participating teams for both tournaments within 12-72 hours beginning (Selection) Sunday night is compounded by the busy spring break travel season, the national shortage of charter aircraft nationwide and the potential TSA impact of the partial government shutdown,’ it read.
