Tucson International Airport, Arizona. (January 23, 2025): President Donald Trump this week ordered the U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Defense to augment efforts by Customs and Border Protection conducting immigration removal flights. In this photo by Senior Airman Devlin Bishop, Customs and Border Protection Agents guide migrants as they board a C-17 Globemaster III for transportation to their home countries.

The Pentagon has ordered an additional 1,500 Active-Duty troops to the southern border to join the 2,500 already based there. According to federal officials, the Air Force has begun deportation flights of some 5,400 people currently held in detention by Customs and Border Protection. The Air Force plans to use both C-17s and C-130 cargo aircraft to conduct the flights that will be carried out by over one hundred aircrew and maintainers. The Pentagon said the U.S. is seeking diplomatic clearance to land for future flights as destination countries must be willing to accept the migrants.

Northern Command, headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, is responsible for domestic disaster relief operations that occur during fires, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. The agency is charged with executing the President’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration and to increase security at the southern border.