Why Trump’s Military Deportation Flights Are So Expensive | WSJ

President Trump’s administration started using C-17 military planes for deportations in January, signaling a hard line against migrants. A WSJ analysis of aircraft and flight tracking data found that these military flights are more expensive and less efficient than ICE’s typical civilian deportation flights.

WSJ’s Shelby Holliday reports why the use of C-17s for deportations is a more expensive use of taxpayer money.

Chapters:
0:00 Trump’s deportations
0:33 ICE Air, explained
1:50 Ice Air vs. C-17
3:27 India flight
4:04 Guantanamo
4:35 ICE Air flights down

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[billsmith]

If C-17’s were the cheapest way to fly passengers Delta would own a few hundred of them.

[iamfinkyuk]

That response from the dept of gov is kinda terrifying. That's not how a gov dept should communicate.

[mileshatton]

not the "Sent from my iPhone" in the signature 💀

[cyvdrlh]

I am a C-17 pilot, have been for 12 years. There's a lot of ignorance in the comments. I'm not going to get too deep into it because it's complicated, but sorties don't happen because "pilots need flight hours, so these flights would be going anyways."

Wildly incorrect. These are assigned missions on top of our already overloaded assignments. Now on top of missions to world hot spots, training sorties, simulator training, we're also doing these deportation runs while the USAF pilot shortage is unprecedented and crew rest (which exists to stop accidents from extreme fatigue of flying 3 back to back 24 hour shifts with only 12 hours off for weeks straight) is being waived to keep crews flying.

These flights are unnecessary and are straining crews and putting needless hours on one of the most abused airframes in the military's inventory. Please stop spreading misinformation.

[jeromehugh]

Use of military aircraft always creates a bigger spectacle and is sure to get noticed compared to a commercial aircraft. And trump loves publicity

[bigchungusdriplord]

Department of goverment efficiency performing well I see

[TelmoGuerreiro]

That Katie Miller who gave that absurd response from DOGE is the wife of Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff. Jobs for the boys and girls, I guess. Whom ever kisses the ring gets a fancy job. And then, the same people come to talk about merit when it comes to DEI and other stuff. Hypocrisy at its best. I can tell by the way she wrote that answer that is not qualified for that job.

[ZhouMama]

That response from actually sounds like something a teenager with an attitude problem would write. Good to see exemplary professionalism from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

[artema.]

Largest deportation not by people, but money spending...

[amateurgamer]

That's how the US government is going to minimise the govt expenditure 😂

[swaggery]

Ryan McBeth made a video about the cost of the entire deportation program using estimates if anybody is interested.

[NYchristofferflowers]

Great our military planes will have so many extra hours they'll be worn out if we need them for actual military defense.

[bascal]

It's all about the fanfair and the show, he's a visual person he care about how things look more than the reality.

[philippesails]

Just as a benchmark, a private jet costs between $5k to $25k per hour

[GeoSae]

I think it was just a message to make him look tuff on immigration policies during his first weeks of presidency. eventually will be turned back to cheaper third parties, with maybe more frequency flights? The only long term changes I think may happen will be contract extensions to third parties, so they can increase their fleet of civilian cheaper and perhaps used aircraft to expand their operations.

[jtgd]

5:25 🙄 costs only matter if it falls under their agenda

Can't even defend the use of more costly flights

[hosainibnshahid]

It's not about money, it's about sending a message

[djp]

The biggest burden on society is billionaires.

[MattHuey]

Its better than giving them money and housing here?? That costs more!?💯 So these flights are prob alil cheaper! Beats sitting in cage!

[joseevsngelista]

More expensive to have them in America. With health care, housing, housing and education. And many more expenses.