Four passengers apparently passed out onboard a sweltering charter plane regularly used for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation flights.

The GlobalX plane was preparing to depart from Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport for Alexandria, Louisiana on Thursday afternoon when it experienced an air conditioning malfunction.

Four people reportedly lost consciousness on the aircraft as temperatures inside the plane began to rise, officials told the Daily Mail.

Paramedics and firefighters descended on the tarmac at around 3.15pm and rushed in to help the ill passengers, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.

First responders wheeled the passengers off the plane on stretchers and loaded them into ambulances, footage captured by CBS News Miami showed.

They were then taken to nearby hospitals and treated for heat-related illnesses.

Aviation workers were also seen carrying black trash bags off of the aircraft, though it is unclear what was being held inside them.

The remaining passengers were transferred to another plane, which took them to Alexandria after a more than five-hour delay.

The Miami-Dade Aviation Department told the Daily Mail that the incident occurred on a flight from Texas that was bound for Louisiana. 

The agency said the crew diverted to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport so that the aircraft could be replaced.

It is unclear if the GlobalX plane was being used by ICE during Thursday's incident.

However, it is probable given the aircraft was heading to Alexandria International Airport, which houses a federal staging facility right on its tarmac.

The 70,000 square-foot Alexandria Staging Facility is a short-term detention center that has 400 beds.

It is the busiest ICE deportation hub in the country and is known for removing migrants from the US and sending them back to their home countries.

An ICE spokesperson, in a statement to the Daily Mail on Sunday, said: 'Out of an abundance of caution, four illegal aliens in ICE custody were transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation and care after they became overheated when their ICE Air flight experienced mechanical issues on the ground in Opa Locka, Florida. They were treated and discharged on the same day. The plane’s mechanical issues were rectified, and it returned to Alexandria, Louisiana.

'It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.'