US suspends deportation flights on military aircraft: Report

ISTANBUL

The administration of Donald Trump has halted the use of costly military aircraft to deport migrants who entered the US illegally, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Pentagon officials confirmed no flights were scheduled for the coming days, with the last military deportation flight occurring March 1.

The pause could be extended or made permanent, defense officials told the newspaper.

An analysis by the news outlet found that the administration had initially employed military aircraft to demonstrate its tough stance on illegal immigration, conducting approximately 30 flights using C-17 aircraft and about one dozen C-130s to various destinations including India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Panama and Guantanamo Bay.

The flights, however, proved significantly more expensive than standard deportation operations. The newspaper’s analysis revealed deportation flights to India cost $3 million each, while some carrying only a dozen migrants to Guantanamo Bay came in at least $20,000 per migrant.

Operating a C-17, designed for heavy cargo and troop transport, costs $28,500 per hour, according to the US Transportation Command, compared to standard US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights that cost $8,500 per hour, the paper underlined.

Further complicating operations, the military aircraft could not use Mexican airspace, adding several hours to flights bound for Central and South America.

Additionally, some Latin American nations refused to land the military flights, instead arranging their own aircraft or commercial flights for deportees.

The Trump administration has intensified deportation efforts, expanding expedited removals nationwide for undocumented migrants.