Military Planes Deployed for Deportation Flights from Tucson
Recent developments have seen military planes being used to carry out deportation flights, with operations taking off from Tucson International Airport. This initiative is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to increase deportation efforts.
Social media updates from Tucson Sector Border Patrol highlighted a recent flight that transported 80 Guatemalan nationals. Federal officials confirmed to ABC news that this was the second such flight from Tucson, with plans for these flights to become a regular, nationwide occurrence, as stated by Tom Homan, President Trump’s Border Czar.
William Banks, a professor emeritus at Syracuse University with expertise in national security, explained that these flights are enabled by President Trump’s emergency declaration regarding the border situation. “In doing so, he evoked a series of statutes under something called the National Securities Act. Gives him additional authorities beyond his everyday authorities,” Banks noted.
According to Banks, the emergency declaration allows the use of military resources for border enforcement. “He can instruct the Pentagon to do something, what’s called re-program money from one project to another to pay for the flights,” he elaborated.
While past administrations have utilized military aircraft for deportations, the scale proposed by the Trump administration is unprecedented. These military-operated deportation flights differ from those conducted via ICE air, which typically use commercial airliners funded by the Department of Homeland Security.
Banks also pointed out that the expanded military involvement in deportations, along with executive orders invoking ancient wartime powers, could lead to legal challenges.
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