Military flights carrying illegal migrants flew out of the US on Friday as mass deportation began under the Trump administration.
WASHINGTON — Within just a little over four days after Donald Trump took over as the 47th President of the United States, the country has begun deportation flights for illegal immigrants using military aircraft.
The White House shared pictures of detained migrants on Friday and called the mass deportation ‘Trump’s strong message to the world”.
“Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences,” the White House said on X.
Mass deportation of illegal immigrants has been one of the major poll promises of the Trump campaign. As part of it, Trump has also signed an executive order declaring that future children born to undocumented immigrants would no longer be treated as citizens.
The Department of Defence said two of its aircraft conducted repatriation flights from the US to Guatemala.
Two military aircrafts, each carrying about 80 migrants, flew from the US to Guatemala, according to Reuters rport.
“Guatemala and the United States are committed to putting an end to illegal migration and strengthening border security. Starting with two flights today,” the State Department said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that Trump’s border policies have already led to the arrest of 538 illegal immigrants and deportation flights using military aircraft, the first since President Dwight Eisenhower, have begun.
“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 wrote on X.
Talking to reporters in North Carolina, President Trump said, “Deportation is going very well. We’re getting the bad, hard criminals out. These are murderers. These are people that have been as bad as you get, as bad as anybody you’ve seen. We’re taking them out first.”
According to Congressman Tony Gonzales from Texas, the Department of Defense on Friday assisted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with deporting 80 Guatemalan nationals from Biggs Army Airfield.
“Texas has been ground zero for the border and will be ground zero for deportation operations. In four days, President Trump has done more to protect our country than Biden did in four years,” he said. — AGencies