Military Deportation Flights by Trump Costing Significant Amount Per Migrant
The recent military deportation flight to Guatemala, ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, has been estimated to cost at least $4,675 per migrant, according to data from U.S. and Guatemalan officials.
This figure is over five times the cost of a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, the flight's departure point, which is approximately $853.
Furthermore, this cost surpasses that of a commercial charter flight operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Trump initiated these military deportation flights as part of his national emergency declaration regarding immigration, resulting in six flights to Latin America thus far, with only four arriving in Guatemala.
The U.S. had attempted to land two C-17 cargo aircraft in Colombia, but the Colombian government refused, opting to use its own planes to transport the migrants instead.
A U.S. official disclosed that operating a C-17 military transport aircraft is approximately $28,500 per hour, with the flight to Guatemala taking around 10-1/2 hours in the air.
On Monday, a Guatemalan official reported that the military transport plane arrived with 64 individuals on board.
Trump, while addressing Republican lawmakers at his Doral golf club, promised that the use of military aircraft for deportation would continue and warned that countries refusing to cooperate would face economic consequences.
He stated, "For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came."
This operation's expenses starkly contrast with ICE's chartered flights. In 2021, the cost for ICE's "Ice Air" flights was reported to be $8,577 per flight hour. However, acting ICE Director Tae Johnson mentioned that deportation flights, which generally lasted five hours, could reach a cost of $17,000 per hour for a charter carrying 135 deportees.
This higher estimate translates to approximately $630 per person if the charter company covers the return flight cost. A former ICE official noted that this expense has seen a slight increase since 2023.
ICE typically uses chartered Boeing 737 or McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series aircraft for these operations.
In leading up to these deportations, the Pentagon had announced that the U.S. military would be facilitating flights for over 5,000 immigrants currently being detained in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.