Pentagon spent $21 million on flights to Guantanamo Bay amid deportation effort

Memo connected deportations to Guantanamo Bay

Trump medication memo says U.S. tin nonstop non-criminal migrants to Guantanamo Bay 05:55

Washington — The Defense Department has spent much than $21 cardinal connected flights to Guantanamo Bay amid the Trump administration's migrant deportation efforts, according to information sent to Congress by the Defense Department. 

The $21 cardinal fig was archetypal reported by NBC News. 

In January, President Trump directed his medication to usage the U.S. Naval Base successful Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, arsenic a holding tract for migrants, wherever helium said the highest priority, "worst" offenders would beryllium held arsenic portion of his assertive crackdown connected immigration. Since then, constricted details astir the flights person been disposable — including the costs. 

In February, the medication transferred Venezuelan migrants to the facility, earlier they were taken to Honduras. And the medication has intermittently brought migrants to the basal earlier transferring them elsewhere successful the proceeding months. 

In the letter, which came successful effect to questions from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the Pentagon outlined that U.S. Transportation Command has flown a full of 46 flights connected subject craft "in enactment of migrant deportation flights" to Guantanamo Bay betwixt Jan. 20 and April 8, with a full of 802 hours and an mean outgo of $26,277 per formation hour, adding up to much than $21 million. 

"Every American should beryllium outraged by Donald Trump wasting subject resources to wage for his governmental stunts that bash not marque america safer," Warren said successful a statement. "U.S. servicemembers did not motion up for this maltreatment of power."

CBS News antecedently reported that the Trump medication has transferred some detainees considered to beryllium "high-threat" and "low-risk" to Guantanamo, and a government memo shows the Trump medication created wide rules outlining which migrants tin beryllium held astatine Guantanamo Bay, allowing officials to nonstop non-criminal detainees there.