The U.S. Air Force began deportation flights of people held in detention by Customs and Border Protection, U.S. officials said on Jan. 24, in a move ordered by President Donald Trump as part of a sweeping promise to crack down on illegal immigration and more tightly police the southern border.
One C-17 took off from Biggs Army Air Field, Texas, and another C-17 took off from Tucson, Ariz., on the evening of Jan. 23, a defense official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The aircraft headed to Guatemala in Central America, two defense officials added.
“Deportation flights have begun,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on social media. “President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”
The Pentagon has ordered 1,500 Active-Duty troops to the southern border to join 2,500 troops already based there. The goal is to take “complete operational control of the southern border of the United States,” Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesse said in a Jan. 23 statement.
“This is just the beginning,” Salesses said at the time.
U.S. Airmen and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency personnel prepare to load illegal aliens onto a e C-17 Globemaster III at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift.(Dept. of Defense photo by Senior Airman Devlin Bishop) 
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent watches as illegal aliens are loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Dept. of Defense photo by Senior Airman Devlin Bishop)
The Trump administration plans to use the Air Force to deport some 5,400 people detained by Customs and Border Protection plan using two C-17s and two C-130s, the Pentagon said Jan. 23. Defense officials did not say how many people were aboard each plane. The Pentagon said that the Department of Homeland Security would provide “inflight law enforcement,” not military personnel. A senior military official told reporters roughly 100 Air Force personnel would be involved in the missions, from aircrew to maintainers.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights carrying detained migrants are common occurrences, often referred to as “removal flights” by ICE. Prior to this, however, officials used civil or commercial aircraft.
An illegal alien departs a transport vehicle at Fort Bliss, Texas, for a removal flight on Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection security agents guide a group of illegal aliens onboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection security agents guide a group of illegal aliens to board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)
A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing, carrying 80 illegal aliens, prepares for takeoff for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas on Jan. 23, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command is supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift. (Dept. of Defense photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)
