Shumita Basu

ProPublica recently spoke to seven flight attendants with Global Crossing Airlines, known as Global X. It's a startup that promised employees the chance to fly with celebrities and star athletes.

But today it operates most of the federal government's deportation flights, including the transport of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were sent to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador last month, despite a federal court order blocking the flights and despite questionable evidence to support most of those deportations.

But today it operates most of the federal government's deportation flights, including the transport of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were sent to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador last month, despite a federal court order blocking the flights and despite questionable evidence to support most of those deportations.

But today it operates most of the federal government's deportation flights, including the transport of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants who were sent to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador last month, despite a federal court order blocking the flights and despite questionable evidence to support most of those deportations.

ICE, Global X and the FAA did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment in the story. But the flight attendants who spoke to reporter Mackenzie Funk told him they don't feel like they can treat passengers humanely or keep them safe.

ICE, Global X and the FAA did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment in the story. But the flight attendants who spoke to reporter Mackenzie Funk told him they don't feel like they can treat passengers humanely or keep them safe.

ICE, Global X and the FAA did not respond to ProPublica's request for comment in the story. But the flight attendants who spoke to reporter Mackenzie Funk told him they don't feel like they can treat passengers humanely or keep them safe.

The flight attendants told him they had strict rules to follow. No eye contact with migrants, no talking to them, no walking down the aisle without a guard to escort you, and only guards were allowed to take migrants to the bathroom or give them food and water. The thing that disturbed and worried many of the attendants was the fact that most passengers were in shackles.

The flight attendants told him they had strict rules to follow. No eye contact with migrants, no talking to them, no walking down the aisle without a guard to escort you, and only guards were allowed to take migrants to the bathroom or give them food and water. The thing that disturbed and worried many of the attendants was the fact that most passengers were in shackles.

The flight attendants told him they had strict rules to follow. No eye contact with migrants, no talking to them, no walking down the aisle without a guard to escort you, and only guards were allowed to take migrants to the bathroom or give them food and water. The thing that disturbed and worried many of the attendants was the fact that most passengers were in shackles.

All crew members were trained on FAA safety protocol, which says a plane should be evacuated in 90 seconds in an emergency. But the flight attendants told Funk they hadn't been trained on how to evacuate passengers in chains. And some of the attendants said they were horrified by the little bit of guidance that they did get.

All crew members were trained on FAA safety protocol, which says a plane should be evacuated in 90 seconds in an emergency. But the flight attendants told Funk they hadn't been trained on how to evacuate passengers in chains. And some of the attendants said they were horrified by the little bit of guidance that they did get.

All crew members were trained on FAA safety protocol, which says a plane should be evacuated in 90 seconds in an emergency. But the flight attendants told Funk they hadn't been trained on how to evacuate passengers in chains. And some of the attendants said they were horrified by the little bit of guidance that they did get.

In some cases, they chose to break protocol. In little ways, like returning a hello to a passenger who greeted them. And in big ways, too. On one flight, a little girl with a fever who was struggling to breathe collapsed. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, so one of the flight attendants raced to help her.

In some cases, they chose to break protocol. In little ways, like returning a hello to a passenger who greeted them. And in big ways, too. On one flight, a little girl with a fever who was struggling to breathe collapsed. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, so one of the flight attendants raced to help her.

In some cases, they chose to break protocol. In little ways, like returning a hello to a passenger who greeted them. And in big ways, too. On one flight, a little girl with a fever who was struggling to breathe collapsed. Her oxygen levels were dangerously low, so one of the flight attendants raced to help her.

The plane made an emergency landing in Arizona, where paramedics took the child and her mother to the hospital, but the girl's father had to stay on the plane.

The plane made an emergency landing in Arizona, where paramedics took the child and her mother to the hospital, but the girl's father had to stay on the plane.

The plane made an emergency landing in Arizona, where paramedics took the child and her mother to the hospital, but the girl's father had to stay on the plane.

This flight attendant said after that incident, she decided to leave the job. She bought her own ticket home. When you think about the opioid crisis in America and the companies responsible, the first name that might come to mind is Purdue Pharma, which makes the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. But there's another major contributor to this crisis that hasn't gotten as much attention.