Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took a tour of CECOT in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in March. This week, the Department of Homeland Security signed a contract to buy six planes with which to deport people. File Photo by Tia Dufour/U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security signs deal to buy 6 planes for deportations

· Yahoo News

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security has inked a deal to buy six Boeing 737 planes to deport immigrants.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used charter planes in the past for deportation flights, but this deal will allow it to operate its own fleet.

The money comes from the $170 billion that Congress authorized for Trump's immigration control plans in a spending bill earlier this year, according to the Washington Post.

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In late October, DHS announced it had deported nearly 600,000 people this year.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to The Post that the planes would save money "by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns." She said it would save $279 million in taxpayer dollars, though she didn't elaborate.

"We are delighted to see The Washington Post is highlighting the Trump administration's cost-effective and innovative ways of delivering on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," she said in a statement.

She added that Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country."

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In November, The Wall Street Journal reported that Noem and her chief adviser, Corey Lewandowski, directed ICE officials to buy 10 planes from Spirit Airlines for deportation flights and their own travel. But Spirit didn't own the planes, which did not have engines.

The DHS contract is with Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation, created in February 2024, according to corporate records, The Post reported. Daedalus's website says it "offers a full range of commercial and charter aviation services" and "provides comprehensive responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission."

John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE under President Barack Obama, said the purchase shows that ICE has a lot of money, but isn't likely to be cost-effective.

"It's so much easier to issue a contract to a company that already manages a fleet of airplanes," Sandweg told The Post. "So this move I'm surprised by because what the administration wants to accomplish, by and large, can be accomplished through charter flights already."