Reports of military aircraft – including at least one C-17 from Travis Air Force Base – being used to deport undocumented immigrants has U.S. Rep. John Garamendi sounding warning alarms and demanding answers.

The Reporter published a story featuring an image of a C-17 from Travis that had been posted on social media last week by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt after it was loaded with deportees bound for Guatemala. The article was picked up by some of The Reporter’s sister papers in the Bay Area.

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On Friday, Garamendi issued a press release after firing off a letter to then Acting Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses demanding answers on “how the DOD has authorized these activities, how the DOD is respecting the laws and norms governing the appropriate use of military assets, and what impacts these diversions will have on our national readiness.”

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Solano) at Travis Air Force Base, 2023.(Joel Rosenbaum / The Reporter) 

A senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, Garamendi says the use of military aircraft is “deeply alarming, potentially unconstitutional and a blatant abuse of presidential power.”

In a press release, Garamendi argued that the Posse Comitatus Act explicitly prohibits using active-duty military personnel for domestic law enforcement functions.

“Pulling U.S. troops and taxpayer resources from life-threatening disasters to support immigration enforcement is dangerous, inappropriate, wasteful, and a direct threat to our democratic principles,” he said.

Getting answers and making sure the law is being followed is vital, he said “considering critical resources are being diverted from supporting the firefighting efforts in Southern California and the multiple threats from adversaries in the Pacific theater and others around the world.”

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In his letter, Garamendi called use of military forces to conduct law enforcement activities in these circumstances a “dangerous escalation” and said it could “constitute an inappropriate militarization of our civilian affairs.”

Specifically he mentioned 500 active-duty Marines from Camp Pendleton to support response to the California wildfires. “More recently, the DOD diverted those 500 Marines and sailors to the southern border. The Department must clearly articulate how it is balancing conflicting needs in making these decisions,” he wrote.

And he pointed specifically to the use of Travis planes as a concern.

“The DOD is also managing other challenges around the globe, and I have concerns about how it is prioritizing its assigned missions. For example, public reporting has stated that aircraft from Travis Air Force Base are being used to support deportations,” he noted. “Travis AFB, a key Air Mobility Command unit known as the ‘Gateway of the Pacific,’ undertakes missions around the globe, supporting our forces and preparing for contingencies. I am deeply concerned about our mission readiness with the diversion of these critical assets, especially since the government has access to more appropriate aircraft for these missions.”

Last week, the Trump administration portrayed U.S. military planes carrying migrants that touched down in Central America as a start to deportations and announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 593 arrests on Jan. 24 and 538 on Jan. 23.

One of two Air Force C-17 aircraft included in the effort was a Travis Air Force Base plane. Another was from McChord Air Force Base in Washington.

“Deportation flights have begun,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on the social media platform X that included the image of the Travis AFB plane. “President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”

The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials have said.

In addition to asking what authority is being used to authorize the use of military aircraft and what resources are being diverted to the southern border, Garamendi asked in his letter to the Pentagon why DOD is not contracting commercial companies for the transports, how long the military resources will be diverted, what funds have been authorized and appropriated to complete barriers along the border and how the DOD is ensuring that military personnel are not being used “unlawfully” to support law enforcement. He requested a response “as soon as possible and no later than Jan. 31st.”

In a press release, Garamendi added, “We cannot go down this very dark path that Donald Trump is taking us. It’s time for real political solutions that restore order and dignity to our immigration system, not dangerous and wasteful political stunts.”