Air Force flies migrants to Guatemala as military’s border role grows
By Valerie Gonzalez, The Associated Press
Jan 30, 2025, 08:00 PM
A U.S. Air Force plane with migrants bound at their wrists and ankles departed Texas for Guatemala on Thursday, carrying 80 deportees in another deportation flight that reflects a growing role for the armed forces in helping enforce immigration laws.
The flight from Fort Bliss, an Army base in El Paso, was scheduled to take about seven hours, nearly twice as long as a direct route, because the military plane could not fly over Mexico, said U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Orlando Marrero. Eight children were aboard.
“The message that we have for those people is that if you cross the border illegally, we are going to deport you to your country of origin in a matter of hours,” Marrero said.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2025/01/31/air-force-flies-migrants-to-guatemala-as-militarys-border-role-grows/
