India deportation flight is likely to cost US more than $1 million

The Trump administration has begun using military aircraft to underscore its determination to deport undocumented migrants from the US.

But while the optics make for good political theatre, the flights are expensive – as much as $1 million in the case of a recent deportation to India, according to an AFP analysis.

In fact, military flights can end up costing more than three times as much as a civilian trip, data shows.

President Donald Trump was elected on a promise to carry out the biggest deportation “in the history of America”. While most of the migrants being targeted for expulsion come from Latin America, some are also being sent back much further across the globe.

On Wednesday, a US Air Force cargo plane landed in Amritsar, India, carrying 104 Indian nationals who had entered the United States illegally, according to a US government statement.

The flight is believed to be the first use of a military aircraft to deport people to India.

Images captured by an AFP photographer show that the plane used is a C-17A Globemaster III, a large military aircraft capable of transporting troops, vehicles and supplies.

The Globemaster is a workhorse of the US Air Force, and has been used in military theatres worldwide since it was first added to the…

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