Trump administration halts military planes for deportation over cost

Photo : AFP

The United States has stopped using military planes to send illegal immigrants back to their countries because it is too costly. A report from the Wall Street Journal said that defense officials made this decision after looking at the high expenses.

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Before this, the U.S. used military planes to deport people to countries like India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, and Panama. Some were also sent to Guantanamo Bay. But these flights were very expensive compared to normal airline flights, so they decided to stop them.

President Donald Trump’s government was very strict about sending illegal immigrants back home. The use of military planes was part of this strict action. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "The message is clear: If you break the law, if you are a criminal, you can find your way to Guantanamo Bay. You don’t want to be at Guantanamo Bay."

The last time a military plane was used for deportation was on March 1. A flight that was supposed to take off on Thursday was canceled, an official said. This stoppage may continue for a long time or even become a permanent rule.

Reports show that the U.S. military used the C-17 plane for about 30 deportation flights and the C-130 plane for about a dozen flights. But these flights took longer and carried fewer people, making them very costly.

Each flight to deport Indian nationals cost the U.S. around $3 million. People sent back on these planes said they were handcuffed and chained during the whole journey. Some flights that carried just 12 people to Guantanamo Bay cost as much as $20,000 per person.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website says that a normal deportation flight costs about $8,500 per hour. For international flights, the cost increases to around $17,000 per hour. However, the C-17 military plane costs about $28,000 per hour, making it too expensive.

Another problem was that U.S. military planes did not fly through Mexican airspace. This made flights longer and increased costs even more.

Because of these high costs, the government has decided that using regular airline flights is a better option. It is still not clear if military deportation flights will start again in the future. But for now, officials say they are looking for other ways to enforce immigration laws while saving money.