Deportation of migrants on Fort Bliss using military aircraft has begun, White House press secretary says
UPDATE: President Donald Trump visited North Carolina on Friday and gave some remarks on the start of deportation flights in El Paso and other cities along the border.
"It's going very well, we're getting the bad hard criminals out. These are murderers. These are people that have been as bad as you get, as bad as anybody you've seen. We're taking them out first," said President Trump.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have also reacted to the deportation flights that started last Thursday.
"Illegal alien gang members have no business being in our country. Joe Biden allowed criminals to turn our communities into war zones for four years. President Trump and Tom Homan are exactly right to deport every violent illegal alien and send them back to their home country," said Senator Cruz.
"I am glad that our country is back under the strong leadership of President Trump, who has already taken action to begin securing the border and enforcing federal immigration law.,” Senator Cornyn added.
Originally posted by CNN at 7:34 a.m.
From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg and Priscila Alvarez
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared images Friday of migrants lined up, handcuffed and boarding a military aircraft on Fort Bliss, stating: “Deportation flights have begun.”
“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,” she wrote in her post on X.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared images Friday of migrants lined up, handcuffed and boarding a military aircraft. Karoline Leavitt/The White House
Migrants are generally handcuffed before boarding deportation flights. The use of military aircrafts to send them to their origin country, however, is notable. It’s unclear where the migrants were from, but they are believed to be recent border crossers who were in Border Patrol custody.
The first flights left from Biggs Army Airfield on Thursday evening, according to an official with the Department of Homeland Security.
Approximately 75-80 Guatemalans were repatriated, the source said. The migrants recently crossed the border and were in Border Patrol custody.
CNN reported earlier this week that four total aircraft — two C-17s and two C-130s — were being sent to San Diego and El Paso to support repatriation flights, a senior military official told reporters on Wednesday.
The post was updated with more details on the repatriation from Biggs Army Airfield.