Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security signed a contract worth nearly $140 million to acquire six Boeing 737s dedicated to deportation operations.
- The purchase is funded from a congressional border and migration package that authorized $170 billion in July.
- The deal was executed with Daedalus Aviation, a company formed in 2024, after an earlier attempt to buy 10 Spirit Airlines 737s did not materialize.
- ICE says operating its own planes will enable more efficient flight patterns and lessen dependence on private charter providers.
- Specific aircraft models, deployment timelines, routes and full operating costs have not been disclosed, while NGOs note 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries through Oct. 31 and a CNN-reported leak of roughly 200,000 deportations in seven months.