As part of US President Donald Trump’s new policy to crack down on illegal immigration, over a hundred Indian immigrants who had entered the country illegally have been deported aboard a military transport aircraft. Reports regarding the handcuffing and chaining of migrants has stirred controversy and ruckus in the parliament.

Yesterday, the US military’s C-17 Globemaster aircraft, which carried 104 Indian deportees, touched down in Amritsar. The cost of sending these individuals back on such a high-end military plane far exceeds that of even first-class or chartered flights, making the operation an expensive one.

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Cost And Logistics Of Military Planes

According to Reuters, Using military aircraft comes with a hefty price. These planes, usually reserved for war zones or disaster relief, are now being used for immigration enforcement. The cost? It’s reportedly five times higher than a first-class ticket, all at the expense of American taxpayers.

Reuters reports that a military flight carrying 64 migrants to Guatemala on January 27 likely cost at least $4,675 per person, which is more than five times the $853 cost of a one-way first-class ticket on American Airlines on the same route. It is also significantly higher than the cost of a commercial charter flight by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

A flight from San Antonio, Texas, to Amritsar takes over 19 hours with multiple stops. According to an NDTV report, the cost of operating the massive transport aircraft is estimated to exceed half a million dollars—or more than ₹4 crore—based on these figures.

C-17 Transport Aircraft

The US military operates the C-17 transport aircraft at a rate of $28,500 per hour, with significant taxpayer costs involved. The US has so far used around 6 military aircraft, besides the non-military planes, to send off illegal immigrants. The cost of deporting 64 migrants to Guatemala on the C-17 aircraft was around $28,500 per hour according to Reuters.

The cost of deportation flights has seen a sharp rise over the years. Back in 2021, ICE-operated “ICE Air” flights were priced at $8,577 per flight hour. By 2023, that figure had nearly doubled, with a five-hour deportation flight carrying 135 people costing $17,000 per flight hour, according to ICE’s statement during a budget hearing.

To put it into perspective, that translates to about $630 per deportee—assuming the cost covers only a one-way trip and ICE doesn’t have to pay for the return flight. But expenses have only continued to rise since then, a former ICE official told Reuters.