US Plans To Ramp Up Deportations. 6 Boeing Jets To Be Bought

The Donald Trump administration in the United States is reportedly planning to go big on its anti-immigration agenda in 2026. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has signed a contract worth nearly $140 million to purchase at least six Boeing 737 jets to use them as deportation flights, after receiving a massive funding increase from Congress, according to a report by the Washington Post.

The move would allow US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-- the arm of DHS-- to operate its own fleet of deportation flights, instead of relying on charter planes.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The Post that the planes would save money "by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns."

Without going into specifics, she said the effort would save $279 million in taxpayer dollars. McLaughlin added that Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country."

Massive Funds For Anti-Immigration Agenda

Earlier this year, Congress approved $170 billion for Team Trump's border and immigration agenda over four years as part of the Republican Party's sprawling tax bill. The massive infusion of cash has opened doors for the Trump administration to spend extensively on immigration enforcement to meet Republicans' goals of deporting record numbers of immigrants.

The money for the planes is coming from that funding, The Post reported, quoting officials familiar with the contract and records.

The Trump administration plans to deport at least 1 million people by the end of its first year in office. The administration has already made over 579,000 removals, according to Trump's border czar, Tom Homan.

Nearly 66,000 immigrants are being held in detention, according to DHS data.

Moreover, the Pentagon had also reportedly diverted at least $2 billion from its core missions this year to support the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

According to a report released by Democratic lawmakers, shifting of funds had led to the pausing or cancelling of programmes, including the building of a pilot training facility, the repairing of schools for children of service members and the refurbishment of military barracks, something Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a priority.

Plane Purchase Raises Eyebrows

The purchase of the new jets, especially for deportation, has raised questions about what DHS will do with them after Trump leaves office.

Historically, ICE Air Operations, the agency's main air transportation division, relied primarily on charter flight companies for deportation flights. The use of charter planes has given administrations flexibility to increase or decrease flights, according to people familiar with the operations.

From January 20, when Trump took over the White House for his second term, till October 31, the US has sent as many as 1,701 deportation flights to 77 countries, according to a monthly report by the ICE Flight Monitor from Human Rights First. 

ICE Air Operations carried out "the vast majority of US immigration enforcement flights," the report said.