The Trump administration has suspended using army plane for deporting migrants, citing excessive prices and inefficiencies, in line with protection officers, as reported by Wall avenue journal. The final such flight befell on March 1, and no additional flights are at present scheduled, officers confirmed.
Initially carried out as a part of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration insurance policies, using army flights was meant to ship a powerful message concerning the administration’s crackdown on unlawful immigration. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth beforehand acknowledged, “The message is obvious: In the event you break the regulation, in case you are a felony, you will discover your means at Guantanamo Bay… You don’t wish to be at Guantanamo Bay.”
Because the coverage’s implementation, the administration has used C-17 and C-130 army plane for about 42 deportation flights to international locations together with India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, and Panama, in addition to to Guantanamo Bay. Nonetheless, these flights proved pricey, with deportation flights to India costing $3 million every and a few Guantanamo flights costing $20,000 per migrant.
Comparatively, customary US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights on civilian plane price between $8,500 and $17,000 per flight hour, whereas a C-17 army plane prices $28,500 per hour, in line with US Transportation Command. Moreover, restrictions on US army plane getting into Mexico’s airspace have additional elevated journey time and bills.
Some Latin American international locations have refused to simply accept deported migrants by way of US army flights. In January, Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied entry to 2 C-17 flights, main Trump to threaten tariffs. Whereas the White Home later introduced that Colombia had agreed to simply accept deportees, no US army plane have landed there. As a substitute, Colombia and Venezuela have used their very own business flights to move deported residents.
Officers indicated that the suspension of army deportation flights may very well be prolonged or made everlasting, although no remaining resolution has been introduced.
