Military Aircraft Make Deportations Controlled and Safe

President Donald Trump is rapidly carrying out deportations of illegal alien criminals. He used military aircraft, most notably the C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft, to do that. However, the use of the large US Air Force airlifter has drawn criticism for its hefty cost per flying hour. Using military aircraft will always be more expensive than similar commercial airplanes. Nonetheless, there are upsides.

Deportations of Illegal Aliens Is a Campaign Promise

When President Trump returned to the White House, he began fulfilling a campaign promise: deporting illegal aliens who either committed crimes once entering the US or those who had criminal records in their home countries. Those deportations initially relied on US military aircraft like the C-17 and C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. However, using these US Air Mobility Command does cost considerably more than using commercial aircraft.

According to a USA Today report, a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft capable of carrying 102 deportees, “with 80 people can cost around $3,919 per person to Guatemala from El Paso, according to an analysis by the El Paso Times using flight tracking software data.” However, a commercial charter carrying the same number of illegal aliens being deported “costs taxpayers roughly $1,169 per person to Guatemala. The calculation is based on only 80 people on a removal flight, though charters generally carry 120 to 125 migrants.”

Using Military Aircraft Has Benefits

Many of these deportees committed violent offenses either in their home country or after being released by the previous administration into American cities. The most obvious benefit of using military aircraft, then, is that these potentially violent people are on a plane with military and ICE personnel, not civilian airline passengers. In short, it’s much safer.

Furthermore, much of the cost of the military flying hours is offset by the training the aircrews receive during missions that accomplish a purpose other than training missions at the local home base. Real-world missions provide better training for dealing with unfamiliar, foreign air controllers and international airfield procedures, including flying in weather using instrument procedures when there is poor visibility and low clouds. During longer flights, C-17 pilots get aerial refueling training. Every opportunity for training is valuable. Developing crew coordination techniques when flying into new airfields and practicing those techniques is useful in developing aircrew skills

Regardless of whether the deportation missions are assigned to military airlift crews, the readiness of aircraft and crews is a top priority of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The Air Mobility Command expects to be used in the future to support ICE. “Air Force Gen. Randall Reed told a subpanel of the Senate Armed Services Committee that his command is ready to resume such transports if Northern Command orders them as part of a mass deportation effort by the Department of Homeland Security,” Stars and Stripes reported. Reed made clear that he is ready to “expect maybe more flights.”

Americans have come to anticipate that when President Trump says he will do something, he does it. Additionally, when it’s clear that there are better, more efficient ways of accomplishing the objectives, he will adopt the less costly option. However, when it comes to transporting deported violent criminals, it’s good to know there is a ready, capable military option.

1. President Trump has been deporting illegal migrants convicted of violent crimes using military aircraft, which costs considerably more than civilian, commercial planes. Many have criticized the expensive practice.
2. One benefit of using military transport, however, is that it makes transporting potentially violent people safer for everyone involved.
3. Also, it might not actually cost much more or any more in reality because such missions can replace training flights that already have to take place. In fact, real deportation missions are more valuable for training than just flying around an airbase.