Tue Feb 04 12:20:00 UTC 2025: ## US Military Deporting Migrants to India in Unprecedented Move
**Washington, D.C. – February 4, 2025** – The U.S. military has begun deporting migrants to India, marking the furthest destination yet for the Trump administration’s controversial use of military transport flights for immigration purposes. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, confirmed on Monday that a C-17 aircraft carrying migrants departed for India and is expected to arrive within 24 hours.
This action is the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s reliance on the military for immigration enforcement. In addition to deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, the administration has increasingly utilized military aircraft for deportations and military bases for migrant housing.
The Pentagon has also initiated flights to deport over 5,000 immigrants from El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. Previous military deportation flights have targeted Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. The high cost of these operations has been noted; a recent Reuters report estimated that a single military deportation flight to Guatemala last week cost at least $4,675 per migrant. The financial implications of this new, longer-range deportation strategy to India remain unclear.
First Piper 