A US military aircraft carrying 104 Indian nationals deported from the United States arrived at Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon, marking one of the most expensive deportation operations in recent history. According to sources, many of the deportees had only reached the US-Mexico border in December or January, attempting to enter the U.S. amid tighter border restrictions under the Trump administration, The Indian Express reported.
The deportation carried out by utilizing US Air Force C-17 A Globemaster III has cost more than $1 million (Rs 8.74 crore ), underlining the huge expense of military extradition flights in comparison to civilian alternatives, as per a report by AFP.
The flight is considered to be the first known case in which a US military aircraft has been used to deport Indian nationals. Out of 104 deportees, 30 are from Punjab, 33 from Gujarat. At least 15 individuals belonging from each of these states have been held at the Mexico-US border while entering the country illegally. The use of a military aircraft in this operation highlights the Trump administration’s commitment to implement strict immigration policies even if it is too expensive.
All about C-17A Globemaster III aircraft
The AFP report further mentioned that usually the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) depends on commercial chartered flights for deportations. As per data from 2021, the charter flights were priced about $8,577 per flight hour. However, the C-17A Globemaster III which is a heavy military cargo aircraft is usually used for transporting troops and heavy transport. This aircraft runs at a cost of $28,562 per hour, thus making this mission quite expensive. The cost per deportee comes around $10,000, many times more in comparison to a commercial ticket from the US to India which falls between $500-$4,000 based on the class.
The military aircraft used for the deportation followed special routes that were used for extended travel time. The path followed by flight started from Marine Corps Station Miramar in San Diego, California, then it took a longer route through Hawai, next it reached the Luzon Strait near the Philippines and then to Diego Garcia, which is a US military base in the Indian Ocean before landing to Amritsar.
The total time taken for the entire journey was around 43 hours along with additional expenses like refuelling and adhering to security norms. After deporting, the return trip of the aircraft exceeded $1 million.
President Trump was elected for a second term on a promise to conduct a large-scale deportation, terming his immigration as ‘the biggest deportation effort in American history’’. While most of the earlier deportations have focused on Latin American nationals, this latest operation underlines the broader strategy of Trump’s administration immigration policies.
(With inputs from AFP)