‘Get illegal criminals out’: US buys six Boeing 737s for deportations; $140 million deal drawn

The US department of homeland security has signed a nearly $140 million contract with Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation to purchase six Boeing 737 planes for deportation operations.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS branch responsible for deportation flights, has traditionally relied on chartered aircraft. However, two officials familiar with the contract indicated that ICE has broader plans for its own fleet, as cited by the Washington Post.


Earlier this year, Congress approved $170 billion over four years to fund President Donald Trump’s border and immigration agenda as part of the GOP’s sweeping tax legislation. The funding for the new planes is being drawn from this allocation.

“This new initiative will save $279m in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin was quoted as saying by the Guardian. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country.”

Administration officials have set a target of deporting 1 million individuals by the end of Trump’s first year in office.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said the administration has carried out more than 579,000 removals, though official figures have not been released. DHS data shows that nearly 66,000 immigrants are currently in detention.

A former DHS official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss their previous employer, said the likely motivation behind the purchase is to expand the agency’s capacity both to carry out deportations and to transfer detainees between facilities within the United States.

The official noted that earlier administrations explored similar plans but ultimately abandoned them due to the high costs and logistical challenges of maintaining an aircraft fleet and flight crews.

Since taking office, and through the end of October, the Trump administration has operated 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries, a 79 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024, when the Biden administration carried out removals to 43 countries.

Recent government data also shows that immigrants with no criminal record now make up the largest share of individuals held in US immigration detention.