The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has completed a contract for almost $140 million to purchase six Boeing 737 aircraft to be used in deportation operations.
The agreement was signed with Daedalus Aviation, a Virginia-based company, and is part of the Virginia administration’s immigration strategy Donald Trump, that insists on its goal of execution “the largest deportation operation in the history” of the country.
The message was originally published by Washington Post and later confirmed by DHS itself. In dialogue with Guardianthe spokesperson of the organization, Tricia McLaughlindefended the purchase by claiming the initiative would save taxpayers $279 million. As he explained, the savings This would be achieved by allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate more efficientlyamong other things, through “more effective” flight patterns and more optimized use of the fleet.
McLaughlin also added a political definition that runs through the immigration debate in the United States: ““President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently removing criminal illegal immigrants from our country.” The sentence reinforces the discursive line linking deportations to public safety, even though various organizations and specialists have pointed out that a significant proportion of people detained on immigration charges have no criminal record.
Daedalus Aviation, the contracted company, presents itself on its website as a provider of “comprehensive and responsive aviation operations” tailored to specific missions, from government-coordinated evacuations to sensitive international repatriations. In its description, the company emphasizes that it can operate in complex scenarios, such as: “contested airspace”, remote areas or contexts with “diplomatic sensitivity”, and that its goal is to provide aviation support to move “people and missions” effectively.
The financing of this new fleet will therefore take place Washington Postfrom a congressionally approved $170 billion budget earmarked for Trump’s border and immigration policies. This budget package also includes Resources for new detention centers, screening operations, and ICE enforcement and the construction of the border wall, one of the most persistent symbols of Trump’s immigration policy.
The purchase of six Boeing 737s appears to be the latest chapter in a series of decisions aimed at expanding logistical capacity for deportations. In November, The Wall Street Journal reported that the DHS Secretary, Kristi NoemAnd Corey LewandowskiTrump’s senior adviser had directed ICE to move forward with the purchase of 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit Airlines, with the idea of expanding deportation flights and even considering possible uses for transferring officials, according to sources familiar with the plan. However, this project faced internal objections from some officials They warned that buying planes could be more expensive than renting flights. and in analyzing the proposal, it was determined that Spirit would not own the aircraft and, moreover, the aircraft would not have engines. The initiative ended with a break.
In the meantime, The DHS has released high numbers to show results. He announced this in October 1.6 million people were “self-deported” from the United States. and that another 500,000 were deported. However, experts questioned these claims, pointing out that there is little transparency in the release and details of immigration data, making independent verification difficult.
The organization also assured that from the beginning of the Trump administration until the end of October 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries. This figure would represent a 79% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when remittances were sent to 43 countries during Joe Biden’s administration. In parallel, recent official statistics show that immigrants without criminal records make up the largest share of those detained in immigration detention centers.
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