DOD authorities have said the goal is to deport more than 5,000 illegal migrants
Exclusive look at repatriation flight from US to Ecuador
Fox News' Brooke Taylor reports as dozens are deported from El Paso, Texas. Correspondent Alexis McAdams also reveals the latest details on nationwide ICE raids from New York City.
EL PASO, Texas – Fox News got exclusive access to the most recent repatriation flight, where more than 80 illegal migrants were loaded onto a C-17 military plane and deported from El Paso, Texas, back to Ecuador.
"The take-home message here is, ‘not today, not today, not tomorrow, not next week,’" U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht said. "Do not come to the United States and enter illegally."
The plane took off from Biggs Army Airfield around 11 a.m. on Tuesday. 43 females and 37 males, including several family units, were deported.
These are illegal migrants from Ecuador, who broke the law when they crossed illegally into the U.S. According to border patrol, they were already in custody, either found between ports of entry checkpoints, smuggling operations, or stash houses.
Fox News got an exclusive look at a repatriation flight from Texas to Ecuador. (Fox News)
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"It's against the law to be in the United States illegally," Nikseresht said. "Under Title 8 U.S.C. 1325, if you come into the United States illegally at a place other than a designated port of entry and you have not presented yourself for lawful entry into the United States, you are breaking the law and you are here illegally."
One of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders was declaring a national emergency at the southern border, which ultimately allowed the federal government to utilize more military resources.
The repatriation flight to Ecuador included several family units. (Fox News)
The Defense Department announced that on top of deploying an additional 1,500 troops to the border, it will provide airlift support for flights operated by DHS, including the flight Fox News witnessed.
DOD authorities have said the goal is to deport more than 5,000 illegal migrants detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the border sectors in San Diego and El Paso.
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According to the CBP, the C-17 is a huge asset to get illegal migrants back to their home countries quickly.
"With the support of our Department of Defense partners, we're sending the message that if it takes you 30, 60 or 90 days in some cases, to come to the United States illegally, enter once you're found amenable to removal under Title 8, we can have you back in your home country within seven hours," Nikseresht said. "That puts you pretty much anywhere in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and anywhere in between."
Flight crewmembers told Fox News they were the same crewmembers who brought the illegal migrants to Colombia over the weekend and initially were turned away by the Colombian government.
President Trump threatened tariffs, and the president of Colombia quickly backed down, sending a strong message to other countries who think about not accepting these flights with its citizens.
Brooke Taylor is a Dallas-based correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). She joined the network in 2024.
