President Donald Trump is utilising Department of Defense resources to conduct mass deportations of migrants throughout the country as part of his ongoing effort. The use of US military planes for these deportations appears to be significantly more expensive than flights chartered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Recently, the DOD announced the allocation of two C-17s and two C-130E aircraft to support “migrant repatriation flights.”
According to the Mirror US, based on Department of Defense (DOD) comptroller data from fall 2022, the average hourly cost of operating a C-17 is approximately $21,000, while the average hourly cost for a C-130E ranges from $68,000 to $71,000. Using these figures, a 12-hour C-17 flight on Thursday that transported 80 migrants from El Paso, Texas to Guatemala City would have cost an estimated $252,000, while the same flight using a C-130E would cost between $816,000 and $852,000. In contrast, a flight directly chartered by DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is estimated to cost $8,577.
In addition to the military flights, active-duty troops have been deployed to the border to assist with deportations, and the Pentagon will likely reallocate funds within its congressionally authorized budget for “unforeseen, high-priority missions,” according to retired Gen. Glen VanHerck, the former commander of US Northern Command.
ICE raids have already commenced across the country in the first week of Trump taking office. It includes one in New Jersey on Thursday that resulted in the detention of several US citizens, including a US military veteran. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka stated that ICE agents raided a local establishment without producing a warrant and detained both undocumented immigrants and US citizens.
On Day 1 of becoming president, Donald Trump swiftly got to work to tackle illegal immigration. He declared an emergency on the Mexican border signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship, which has been blocked by a federal judge for now.