TUCSON, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) — The military has helped fly dozens of immigrants without legal status out of the United States.
On Friday, the White House confirmed that deportation flights had started.
Photos posted by the Department of Defense show U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents loading dozens of people with their belongings and water bottles onto a C-17 Globemaster III at Tucson International Airport on Thursday night. The C-17 was flown to Guatemala.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared photos on X of military flights being used for deportations.
“Deportation flights have begun. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences,” she said.
Immigration attorney Darius Almiri said this is not a new thing.
“Deportations have happened as far back as I’ve been practicing law. It happened when Obama was president, President Biden, and they’ll happen under Trump,” Almiri said.
Although, he said he’s never seen military planes used before.
“Under previous administrations what happens is ICE transports the deportees back to their country of origin through commercial flights,” Almiri said. “I think the use of military Air Force jets, that’s something different. That might be again, marketing.”
ICE’s daily arrests spiked dramatically Sunday to 956 and Monday to 1,179. If sustained, those numbers would mark the highest daily average since ICE began keeping records, according to the Associated Press.
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