US signs nearly $140m deal to purchase six Boeing 737s for use in deportations | US immigration
The Department of Homeland Security has signed a nearly $140 million contract to purchase six Boeing 737 aircraft for deportation operations.
The contract signed with the Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation company. first reported It was published by the Washington Post on Wednesday and later confirmed by DHS.
“This new initiative will save $279 million in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including more efficient flight patterns,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Guardian in a statement confirming the purchase.
He added: “President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and effectively removing criminal illegal aliens from our country.”
The Guardian has reached out to Daedalus Aviation for comment. Accordingly According to its website, the company “provides comprehensive, responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission,” from “high-tempo, government-directed evacuations to sensitive international repatriations.”
He added: “Whether operating in disputed airspace, remote areas or under diplomatic sensitivity, we provide aviation support that moves people and missions forward.”
According to the Washington Post, financing for the new fleet will come from the USA congress approved A budget of $170 billion was allocated to Trump’s border and immigration policies. This budget also includes funding for new detention centers, ICE enforcement operations and border wall construction.
The new contract is the latest in a series of steps DHS has taken as part of Trump’s pledge to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.”
Wall Street Journal in November reported DHS secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a senior Trump adviser, have directed ICE to purchase 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit Airlines to expand deportation flights and possibly for their own travel, according to people familiar with the plan.
But officials warned that buying planes would be much more expensive than flight contracts, and when they reviewed the offer, they found that Spirit did not actually own the jets and the planes did not have engines. Eventually the plan was put on hold.
DHS in October announced He said 1.6 million people were self-deported from the United States, while 500,000 were deported. However, experts questioned The agency’s claims point to limited transparency regarding immigration data.
Since taking office, the Trump administration conducted 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries through the end of October; This marks a 79% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when the Joe Biden administration carried out deportations to 43 countries.
Meanwhile, the latest government figures showed that immigrants without criminal records make up the largest share of immigration detainees in the US.
An investigation by the Guardian earlier this year found that charter airline Global Crossing (GlobalX) operated more than 1,700 ICE flights between January and May, mostly between US domestic airports. There were approximately 1,000 children among the passengers, almost half of whom were under the age of 10.
