Trump deports 205 illegal Indian immigrants from US on C-17 military aircraft

A US military aircraft carrying deported migrants has departed for India, marking the longest such flight under the Trump administration.

A total of 205 Indian nationals, verified by the Government of India, have deported.

According to a Reuters report citing a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that the C-17 aircraft took off with migrants on board but would take more than 24 hours to reach India. This is part of the administration’s increasing reliance on the military to enforce immigration policies, which includes deploying additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, using military planes for deportations, and housing migrants at military bases.

The Pentagon has also begun organizing flights to deport over 5,000 immigrants currently detained in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. So far, military aircraft have transported deportees to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.

These military deportation flights come at a significant cost. According to Reuters, a recent flight to Guatemala was estimated to cost at least $4,675 per migrant.