The Department of Homeland Security has signed a nearly $140 million contract to purchase six Boeing 737 aircraft for deportation operations, marking a shift from the agency’s historical reliance on chartered flights.
The contract, signed with Virginia-based firm Daedalus Aviation, was first reported by the Washington Post on December 10, 2025, and later confirmed by DHS.
The Contract
In a statement confirming the purchase, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the initiative will save $279 million in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including through more efficient flight patterns.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country,” she added.
Funding Source
Funding for the new fleet will come from the $170 billion budget congressionally approved for Trump’s border and immigration policies. That budget also includes funding for new detention centers, ICE enforcement operations, and construction of the border wall.
The Contractor
According to its website, Daedalus Aviation “provides comprehensive, responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission,” ranging from “high-tempo government-directed evacuations to sensitive international repatriations.”
The company states it operates “in contested airspace, remote locations, or under diplomatic sensitivity” to deliver “aviation support that moves people—and missions—forward.”
Previous Attempts
In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and senior Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski instructed ICE to purchase 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit Airlines to expand deportation flights.
However, officials warned that buying aircraft would be far more expensive than contracting flights. Upon investigating the proposal, they found that Spirit does not actually own the jets and that the planes lack engines. The plan was eventually put on hold.
Deportation Operations Under Trump
Since taking office and through the end of October 2025, Trump’s administration has conducted 1,701 deportation flightsto 77 countries, marking a 79% increase over the same period in 2024 when the Biden administration carried out removals to 43 countries.
In October, DHS announced that 1.6 million people had self-deported from the US while another 500,000 had been deported. However, experts have questioned the agency’s claims, citing limited transparency around immigration data.
Recent government figures have shown that immigrants with no criminal record constitute the largest share of those held in US immigration detention.
Existing Charter Operations
ICE has long relied on charter airlines to conduct deportation flights. Earlier this year, a Guardian investigation revealed that charter airline Global Crossing (GlobalX) operated more than 1,700 ICE flights between January and May, most of them between US domestic airports. Among the passengers were nearly 1,000 children, almost half of whom were under the age of 10.
In February 2025, ICE awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $128 million to CSI Aviation for deportation flights, lasting at least six months and possibly extending up to a year.
Broader Context
The new contract is the latest step in Trump’s pledge to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history.”
Despite President Trump’s assertion that Venezuelan airspace should be considered closed, deportation flights carrying Venezuelan migrants have resumed. Venezuela’s government announced the flights would continue following a request from the Trump administration for twice-weekly repatriation operations. A U.S. deportation flight carrying 172 migrants landed in Venezuela on December 6, 2025.
Overview
The DHS purchase of six Boeing 737 aircraft represents a shift toward government-owned deportation infrastructure rather than reliance on private charter companies. With funding drawn from the $170 billion border security budget and the Trump administration targeting expanded removal operations, the aircraft acquisition positions ICE to conduct deportation flights directly rather than through contracted carriers. Whether the claimed $279 million in cost savings materializes will depend on operational efficiency gains versus the capital and maintenance costs of owning and operating a dedicated fleet.
