Trump Administration Considers Using Ships to Deport Immigrants

The Trump administration is considering using ships, including a 500-foot training vessel and ferries, to deport migrants to Central and South America on journeys that could take days and cost millions of dollars, according to two U.S. officials.

The discussions over recent weeks are still preliminary, but officials have identified possible ships, including the Training Ship Golden Bear, a maritime academy vessel docked in California, said one person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the plan. Defense Department officials have also reached out to companies about ships in Europe, the official said.

A different official, from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees deportations, cautioned that the plan was still hypothetical and that no decisions had been made.

It is not clear why officials are entertaining such an unusual plan, considering the logistical challenges, high cost and checkered history of deportations by sea. The plan could, however, offload some deportation costs from Homeland Security to the Defense Department.

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“What ICE is functionally contemplating is prison ships,” said Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Biden administration. {snip}

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