A US Air Force plane. Uu. With 80 migrants left Texas to Guatemala on Thursday, he drew a road for Mexico because he could not fly over the country, according to an American official. The Mexican government said he never denied permission.
Fort Bliss’s flight, an army base in El Paso, planned to take about seven hours, almost twice a direct route, because the military plane could not fly over Mexico, said the border patrol spokesman of the United States , Orlando Marrero. Eight children were on board.
The Secretary of the Interior of Mexico said in a brief statement on Thursday night that the United States government never requested permission to send the flight and has no prohibition.
The flight, with migrants tied to their wrists and ankles, reflects a growing role for the United States armed forces to help enforce immigration laws.
“The message we have for those people is that if you cross the border illegally, we will deport your country of origin in a matter of hours,” said Marrero
The Trump administration has used military airplanes to Deporting people to GuatemalaEcuador and Colombia, a deviation from the previous practice of immigration and compliance with customs from the United States to use commercial and letter airplanes.
“There are some countries that do not like military planes that enter their territory,” said American representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents a border district of Texas. “It is something that logistically has to be resolved with the country before, because you don’t want a plane to change in the air.”
On Sunday, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, rejected two US military planes with migrants, which led Trump to announce 25% of tariffs on Colombian exports. Colombia went back And he said he would accept migrants, but would fly them on Colombian military flights that Petro said he would guarantee dignity.
The pentagon began display active duty troops to the border last week, but it was not clear to what extent they will do it Break the support roles They have played under presidents from George W. Bush, including land and aerial surveillance, construction barriers and vehicle repair.
A law of 1878 prohibits military participation in the application of civil law, but Trump and its assistants have indicated that the president can invoke powers in times of war. Trump said in his order of the inauguration declaring a border emergency that the Department of Defense can help with detention and transport, two huge cost drivers.
Trump ordered Thursday that an American base In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Be accustomed to stop migrants, saying that up to 30,000 people could have. That would almost double ICE’s current detention capacity.
Yael Schacher, director of America and Europe of Refugees International, said that using military airplanes for deportations was rare but “to a large extent.”
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Associated Press Luis Torres journalist in El Paso, Texas, contributed to this report.
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