Donald Trump’s administration, which has launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants in the US, is now working to secure additional aircraft to expedite the process of mass deportations, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said on Friday.
According to Miller, Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing significant challenges in deporting migrants due to a shortage of aircraft, despite conducting hundreds of deportation flights last year, Bloomberg reported.
To address this challenge, the administration has begun deploying military planes for deportations—a tactic avoided under former President Joe Biden.
White House shares photos of deportation flights: ‘Trump’s strong, clear message’
Miller further outlined that the Trump administration is exploring additional options to boost deportation efforts, including aircraft from the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department.
“You have DHS air assets, you have DOD air assets, you have State Department air assets, you have commercial air assets, you have charter air assets, so every asset that can be used to conduct a lawful deportation,” Miller told reporters.
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Meanwhile, Trump has already deployed military planes such as C-17s, typically used to transport troops and his team shared photographs and videos recently.
Team Trump may call on commercial airlines for deportations
One of the more controversial options that Trump’s administration is ready to explore is the use of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), which would call on commercial airlines to assist the military in moving migrants.
CRAF was previously activated during the US evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.
Using the CRAF for deportations “would be unprecedented,” said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute specializing in defence.
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“If you’re trying to fly 100,000 people — that’s a lot of flights. And the longer it takes you to fly people, the more you have to have temporary facilities to keep them in. So if you don’t have the facilities, then it will be incumbent to move people quickly.”
Miller also indicated that the Trump administration is prepared to act aggressively to locate and remove individuals who have been granted humanitarian parole.
“There are digital footprints, financial records, and law enforcement intelligence that we can use to track and remove those who entered the country unlawfully,” he added.
