US military C-17 aircraft began yesterday flying detained migrants out of the United States on orders from President Donald Trump, as the Pentagon prepared to send even more troops to southern border, including from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne division.US military aircraft in the past have been used to relocate individuals from one country to another, like during the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.However, this was the first time in recent memory that US military aircraft were being used to fly migrants out of the United States, one official said.Trump in his first day in office declared illegal immigration a national emergency, tasking the US military with aiding border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum, and taking steps to restrict citizenship for children born on American soil.His January 20 executive order instructed the Pentagon to send as many troops as necessary to obtain “complete operational control of the southern border of the United States”.“Deportation flights have begun,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on a post on X.Yesterday two US military aircraft, each carrying about 80 migrants, flew from the United States to Guatemala, a US official told Reuters.The Pentagon has said that the US military would provide flights for the deportations of more than 5,000 immigrants held by US authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.Earlier this week, the Trump administration said the US military would be sending 1,500 additional active-duty troops to the border with Mexico.US officials told Reuters that the military was preparing to send a second wave of troops to the border with Mexico as early as next week, which would likely include troops from the 82nd Airborne.The official said the additional troops could number in the thousands but a formal decision had not been made.Troops from the 82nd Airborne division are usually prepared to deploy at short notice for crises around the world, typically in conflict zones rather than to the United States’ border with Mexico.Reuters reported earlier this week that there had been informal discussions about sending as many as 10,000 troops over time, though a final figure had not been determined and troop numbers would depend on several factors, including impact on military readiness.During his first term, Republican Trump ordered 5,200 troops to help secure the border with Mexico.Democratic Joe Biden deployed active-duty troops to the border as well.Hundreds of migrants were meanwhile arrested during a crackdown in Newark.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s administration on Thursday “arrested 538 illegal immigrant criminals”.“The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway,” she said in a post on social media platform X.There are an estimated 11mn undocumented migrants in the United States, according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics.The Democratic mayor of the city of Newark, New Jersey, Ras Baraka, said in a statement on Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “raided a local establishment… detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant”.Baraka said one of those detained during the raid was a US military veteran.The ICE announced “538 arrests” and “373 detainers lodged” in an “enforcement update” on X.
