US: Trump Administration Halts Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants On Military Flights Due To Cost Concerns

The Trump administration has ceased the use of military aircraft to deport migrants who entered the United States illegally, with defence officials confirming that no further such flights are currently scheduled, reported The Wall Street Journal.

This marks a significant shift in policy after months of utilising military resources for deportation, a move that was being widely criticised for its inefficiency and high costs.

Since assuming office, President Donald Trump has made the crackdown on illegal immigration a key priority of his second term.

As part of this effort, military aircraft, including C-17 and C-130 planes, were deployed to transport deportees to their home countries and, in some cases, to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

However, officials have acknowledged that the programme has proven to be both expensive and logistically unfeasible.

The last known military deportation flight took place on 1 March. While another flight had been scheduled for today, it has since been cancelled, with no additional flights expected in the immediate future.

The suspension of military deportation flights could either be temporary or made permanent, officials indicated.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously defended the initiative, stating, “The message is clear: If you break the law, if you are a criminal, you can find your way at Guantanamo Bay. You don’t want to be at Guantanamo Bay.”

The administration viewed the use of military aircraft as a symbolic warning to those entering the country illegally.

Since the beginning of the programme, around 30 deportation flights were conducted using C-17 aircraft, alongside a dozen flights on C-130s. Migrants were transported to destinations including India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Panama, and Guantanamo Bay.

However, the financial burden of these operations has been significant, with three deportation flights to India alone costing an estimated $3 million each. Some flights carried as few as a dozen people at an estimated cost of $20,000 per deportee.

A WSJ analysis revealed that the military flights were significantly more expensive than civilian deportation flights operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

While ICE flights typically cost around $8,500 per hour—or $17,000 for international routes—a C-17 aircraft incurs an operational cost of $28,500 per flight hour.

Adding to the complications, Mexico and several Latin American countries refused to grant military aircraft access to their airspace, resulting in longer flight routes and additional expenses.

Some nations, including Colombia and Venezuela, initially resisted accepting deportees via US military flights but later arranged for commercial or government aircraft to transport their citizens instead.

Whether the programme will resume remains uncertain, but for now, the government appears to be reverting to more conventional and cost-effective deportation methods.