The government of US President Donald Trump analyzed the possibility of using maritime vessels to transport deported migrants towards El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela, with the purpose of diversifying the mechanisms of territorial expulsion through journeys of several days that They would involve million-dollar costs for each trip.
According to The New York Times, the initiative is in a preliminary discussion phase without official approval. Government sources consulted by the media stated that the authorities began the search for viable vessels, including the Golden Bear, a 500-foot training ship belonging to a nautical academy in California.
According to the investigation, representatives of the Department of Defense established contacts with private firms in Europe to verify the availability of ships with transport capacity.
However, spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued that the proposal constitutes an alternative being studied within the immigration policies of the current administration.
Likewise, it was specified that transfer by sea poses different operational requirements than conventional flights. The journeys would require maintaining citizens detained for days you continue, demanding safety schemes, distribution of sleeping spaces and food supply at sea.
Regarding the implications of the project, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official Claire Trickler-McNulty pointed out that the measure would practically imply the operation of “prison ships.”
Likewise, official reports cited by The New York Times indicate that the costs per sea journey would far exceed the rates for regular flights.
However, The operating model would allow part of the financing of deportations to be transferred from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of Defense funds.
