Trump Administration Diverts Over $2 Billion from Military Funds to Immigration Enforcement, Report Warns

Washington, Dec 2025 : A recent report by Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill has revealed that the Trump administration diverted more than $2 billion from the US military budget in 2025 to fund immigration enforcement operations, raising serious concerns about military readiness, morale, and national security. Titled “Draining Defense: Trump’s Immigration Stunts Cost Billions at the Expense of Military Readiness, Morale, and National Security,” the report details extensive reallocations by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support domestic immigration missions — expenditures that critics argue fall outside the military’s primary mission of protecting the nation.

According to the report, at least $2 billion of DoD funds were used for immigration enforcement, with plans for billions more in the next fiscal year. Lawmakers assert that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has largely failed to reimburse these costs, forcing the Pentagon to pull funds from core military priorities such as training, barracks maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, and even elementary schools attended by servicemembers’ children.

The report documents the wide-scale deployment of active-duty troops and National Guard units for immigration enforcement missions. These deployments extended from the US-Mexico border to American cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Memphis. Border deployments alone cost approximately $1.3 billion, while domestic city deployments added another $258 million.

For example, in Los Angeles, the military’s support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cost an estimated $172 million, covering expenses for food, shelter, logistics, payroll, travel, and demobilization for thousands of Marines and National Guard troops. Detention operations on military bases accounted for over $420 million, with Fort Bliss, Texas, absorbing more than $363 million. The report notes that Fort Bliss has already violated at least 60 federal standards for immigrant detention, highlighting ongoing compliance issues.

The Trump administration also expanded the controversial use of Guantánamo Bay for immigration detention, costing roughly $40 million in just the first month due to transportation, staffing, and facility maintenance. Additionally, military aircraft were used for deportations, which the report says were far more expensive than standard ICE flights. For instance, flying a C-17 costs $28,500 an hour, compared with $8,500 per hour for a regular ICE flight. By September 2025, at least $33.1 million had been spent on deportation flights using military aircraft, including $3 million flights to India alone.

Legal resources were also diverted. Up to 600 Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers were temporarily assigned as immigration judges, costing an estimated $55 million in pay and benefits while removing experienced legal officers from military justice duties.

Beyond financial implications, the report warns that military readiness has been compromised. Combat-certified units were reassigned to immigration operations, leaving them unavailable for contingency missions. National Guard deployments also reduced states’ capacity to respond to natural disasters, including wildfires and floods.

“The Trump administration must stop degrading the military’s fundamental mission by diverting its budget and resources to DHS’s immigration functions,” the report urges. Lawmakers call for full reimbursement and an immediate cessation of these diversions.

While immigration enforcement has been framed by the administration as a national security priority, the report emphasizes that reallocating military resources to domestic law enforcement could weaken the United States’ global security posture, potentially affecting its ability to respond to strategic challenges in regions including South Asia, a concern for allies such as India.

The report paints a stark picture of the financial, operational, and strategic costs associated with using military funds and personnel for immigration enforcement, highlighting the tension between domestic policy objectives and the military’s primary mission of national defense.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)