The Trump administration has started deporting illegal immigrants back to their country using military aircraft four days after Donald Trump assumed office as U.S. 47th president.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared photos on the social platform X of individuals in handcuffs boarding a military plane.
“Deportation flights have begun,” Leavitt said. “President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”
The use of military planes for deportation is the result of a Trump executive order signed this week.
In an interview with journalist Chris Cuomo on Friday, Tom Homan, U.S. border czar, said 1,300 people including criminals, some who have been through immigration courts, have been arrested.
“We’ve arrested 1,300 people, over a thousand of them are criminals,” Mr Homan said. “The other ones are either fugitives who’ve been through immigration court, that became a fugitive, or collaterals.”
Mr. Trump had vowed to carry out the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in the U.S. during his presidential campaign.