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Border Security at Any Cost? Pricey Military Deportations Raise Concerns 

Border security measures are intensifying as the administration shows stronger reliance on military support even though this leads to expanding policy and financial debates. 

United States: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to visit the US-Mexico border on Monday as his inaugural trip since assuming office to show executive support for border defense under President Donald Trump. 

Military Support Strengthens Trump’s Immigration Agenda 

The immigration agenda carried out by President Donald Trump depends more and more on military support through border deployments, migrant flight operations, and base housing facilities, as reported by Reuters

“POTUS wants 100% operational control of the border—and we will deliver,” Hegseth said on Sunday on X, referring to Trump, as he announced the trip to visit troops on the border. 

Immigration a National Emergency 

Trump applied the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during his Saturday statement to address what he called a “national emergency” linked to fentanyl trafficking and undocumented immigration between the U.S. and its neighboring countries. 

Republican Trump announced plans last week to expand Guantanamo Bay detention operations in Cuba for a population of 30,000 immigrants. White House border czar Tom Homan declared his plan to relocate migrants to Guantanamo Bay within thirty days. 

Military Airlift Used for Deportation Flights 

Several US Marines traveled to Guantanamo Bay this week for the purpose of expanding migrant detention facilities. 

The Department of Defense now provides airlift services to transport 5,000 detained U.S. immigrants between El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California. 

According to two U.S. officials who spoke off the record over the weekend, military aircraft transported detained migrants between the United States, Honduras, and Peru. 

Soaring Costs of Deportation Flights 

Using aircraft reserved for military purposes to transport migrants proves to be an exorbitant transportation method. Extensive media sources indicated one deportation flight to Guatemala last week cost taxpayers at least $4,675 per migrant, as reported by Reuters. 

Five times more expensive than a one-way first-class ticket for $853 on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, where the flight originated. 

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