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.
Defense Department officials have also reached out to companies about ships in Europe, while a Department of Homeland Security official cautioned the plan was still hypothetical and no decisions had been made. The plan could offload some deportation costs from Homeland Security to the Defense Department. "D.H.S. is assessing all our resources, to maximize efficiency and continue to deliver on President Trump’s mission of securing the homeland," the department said, adding that Secretary Markwayne Mullin is "100 percent focused on ensuring the needs of our department are met while being the best possible steward of taxpayer dollars."
The proposal would represent another escalation in the administration’s mass deportation strategy, which has included military flights and housing migrants at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Critics have raised legal and safety concerns. "What ICE is functionally contemplating is prison ships," said Claire Trickler-Mc Nulty, a former top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official during the Biden administration. The Golden Bear served the Cal Poly Maritime Academy for three decades before ending its run this summer.
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