This was the first time in recent memory that military aircraft were used to fly migrants out of the country, one U.S. official said.

Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive is in full swing with images showing shackled illegal migrants being escorted on to a military plane for repatriation to their home countries.

Some Democrats and advocates counter that Trump's aggressive enforcement could target non-criminals, disrupt businesses and split apart families. Immigrant rights group Make the Road New York sued on Wednesday to block Trump's expansion of the fast-track deportation process.