Trump Administration Halts 'Costly' Military Deportation Flights For Migrants

The administration of Donald Trump has halted the use of expensive military aircraft for deporting migrants who entered the United States illegally, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the transportation of certain migrants to their home countries or the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, via US military aircraft has been deemed costly and inefficient.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

US defence officials informed The Wall Street Journal that no further flights were scheduled in the coming days, with the last military deportation flight taking place on 1st March. They added that the suspension could be extended or even made permanent.

Deportation Flight Cost Higher Than First-Class Travel

A report by the news agency Reuters revealed that a US military deportation flight to Guatemala cost at least $4,675 per migrant, based on data from US and Guatemalan officials.

This amount is over five times the price of a first-class, one-way ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas-the departure point for the flight-where public airfare listings show a cost of $853.

Additionally, this figure is extremely higher than the cost of a commercial charter flight operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

US President Donald Trump was elected on the promise of executing the largest deportation operation "in the history of America."

While the majority of migrants facing deportation are from Latin America, some are being sent back to far more distant locations.

Trump initiated the military deportation flights in January as part of his national emergency declaration on immigration. Since then, six aircraft carrying migrants have been sent on flights to Latin America.