The Trump administration has halted the use of costly military aircraft to deport migrants who entered the U.S. illegally, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the use of U.S. military planes to deport migrants to their home countries or transfer them to a military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been costly and inefficient.

U.S. defense officials told The Wall Street Journal that no military deportation flights are scheduled in the coming days, with the last one taking place on March 1. They added that the suspension could be extended or become permanent.

A report by Reuters disclosed that a U.S. military deportation flight to Guatemala cost at least $4,675 per migrant, according to data from U.S. and Guatemalan officials. This amount is more than five times the cost of a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, the departure point for the flight which is priced at $853, based on publicly available airfares.

Also, the cost of military flights is significantly higher than that of commercial charter flights operated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to carry out the largest deportation in U.S. history. While most of the migrants being deported are from Latin America, some are being sent to distant countries as well.
In January, Trump initiated military deportation flights as part of his national emergency declaration on immigration. So far, six flights carrying migrants have been sent to Latin America under this program.

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