The US administration has decided to halt the use of expensive military aircraft to deport migrants.
The decision to suspend these flights comes after it was revealed that the costs associated with using military planes were significantly higher compared to commercial charter flights.
US military deportation flights, which included transportation to home countries and to the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have proven to be costly and inefficient. The most recent military deportation flight took place on March 1, and no new flights are currently scheduled. US defence officials have indicated that this pause may be extended or even made permanent.
A report from Reuters highlighted that a US military deportation flight to Guatemala cost at least $4,675 per migrant. This figure is more than five times the cost of a first-class ticket on a commercial airline from El Paso, Texas, the departure point for such flights.
President Donald Trump had previously initiated these military deportation flights in January as part of his national emergency declaration on immigration. Since then, six planeloads of migrants have been sent on flights to Latin America.
As the Trump administration evaluates the future of these deportation flights, the high costs and inefficiencies have prompted a reassessment of their viability.
