Photo: Alamy
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded a contract worth almost $140 million to acquire six Boeing 737 aircraft for immigration deportations in a move that marks a significant expansion of the agency’s flight capabilities.
The shift from relying primarily on charter companies comes after Congress approved a significant funding increase tied to President Donald Trump’s border and immigration agenda, The Washington Post reported. Two officials familiar with the contract told the Post that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could be planning broader operational uses for the planes.
Congress authorized $170 billion for border and immigration operations over four years as part of the GOP tax legislation, and the aircraft purchase is funded through that package. The administration has linked the investment to its goal of removing one million people by the end of Trump’s first year in office.
Border czar Tom Homan has said more than 579,000 removals have already occurred, though the government has not released official totals. DHS data shows nearly 66,000 immigrants are currently in federal detention.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said owning the aircraft will reduce costs by allowing ICE to fly more efficient routes. She added that the administration is carrying out what she called a voter mandate for wide-scale removals of criminal illegal immigrants. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has previously called for ICE to operate dedicated deportation aircraft.
The new contract was awarded to Daedalus Aviation, a company established in February 2024. A Virginia business filing lists William Allen Walters III as president and Taundria Cappel as treasurer and chief financial officer. The firm describes itself as providing commercial and charter aviation services tailored to specific missions.
The long-term use of the new planes remains unclear, because ICE Air Operations has typically relied on charter carriers. Human Rights First reported that ICE conducted 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries between Jan. 20 and Oct. 31, with ICE Air conducting the vast majority.
ICE’s latest public update on deportation flights states that “removing non-U.S. citizens who are in the country illegally is a core responsibility of ICE in support of the agency’s mission.”
