The Trump administration has initiated its promised crackdown on undocumented immigrants, commencing deportation flights this week. However, according to Senior Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the process requires more aircraft to gain momentum. Miller informed reporters that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has faced limitations in its deportation efforts due to a shortage of planes. The administration is actively working to secure additional aircraft from various sources, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DOD), the State Department, commercial airlines, and charter services, to expedite the deportation process.

Images released by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt show individuals boarding C-17s, confirming the commencement of deportation flights. One flight departed from Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, heading to Guatemala. Customs and Border Protection sources indicate the plane carried 80 individuals. A planned flight to Mexico was canceled due to Mexico's refusal to grant landing permission.

"Border czar" Tom Homan stated that military aircraft will be utilized daily to support the operation. Approximately 2,000 undocumented immigrants were deported to Mexico on Thursday via land and air transport. Mexico also apprehended around 5,000 migrants within its own borders. Leavitt confirmed the administration's use of both military and non-military aircraft for these missions. In a statement, she emphasized the record number of deportation flights facilitated in a single week and called on Congress to allocate funding for border enforcement, detention centers, and deportation initiatives.

The administration has implemented various border security measures, including military deployment, resumption of wall construction, and termination of Biden-era parole programs. The Department of Homeland Security has issued directives to review parole policies and empower officials to swiftly deport recently arrived undocumented immigrants. Miller also indicated the administration's intent to employ various methods, including digital and financial footprints, as well as law enforcement intelligence, to locate and remove individuals granted humanitarian parole.