According to data provided by U.S. and Guatemalan officials, the military deportation flight to Guatemala on Monday for each migrant likely cost at least $4,675. This figure is more than five times higher than the $853 for a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, the flight's departure point. Additionally, it surpasses the cost of a commercial charter flight by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
President Trump initiated these military deportation flights last week as part of his national plan, dispatching six flights to Latin America thus far. However, only four flights have arrived at their destinations. Colombia refused to allow two U.S. C-17 cargo aircraft to land, resulting in a standoff with Trump.
An anonymous U.S. official estimated that operating a C-17 military transport aircraft costs $28,500 per hour. The roundtrip flight to Guatemala, lasting about 10-1/2 hours, excluding ground time and pre-flight preparations, transported 64 individuals onboard.
The Pentagon did not immediately comment on the situation. Trump, speaking to Republican lawmakers at his Doral golf club on Monday, affirmed that the use of military aircraft for deportations would continue and insisted that countries refusing to cooperate would face economic consequences. He declared, For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared images of migrants boarding a C-17, underscoring Trump's message that entering the U.S. illegally would result in severe consequences.
Comparatively, ICE's charter flights cost $8,577 per flight hour for "Ice Air" flights, according to 2021 data. Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson stated during an April 2023 budget hearing that deportation flights cost $17,000 per hour for 135 deportees, amounting to approximately $630 per person.
The U.S. military is set to provide flights for deporting over 5,000 immigrants detained in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.