 "US DHS signs $140 mn deal to buy 6 Boeing 737s for deportation operations")
As the Trump administration continues to intensify its crackdown on immigration, the US Department of Homeland Security has signed a nearly $140 million contract to purchase six Boeing 737 planes for deportation operations. According to The Washington Post, the contract was signed with the Virginia-based firm Daedalus Aviation. The DHS eventually confirmed the news on Wednesday.
In a statement to The Guardian, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin emphasised that the move is cost-efficient. “This new initiative will save $279m in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns," McLaughlin said.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country," she added. According to the website of Daedalus Aviation, the American company “provides comprehensive, responsive flight operations tailored to the unique needs of each mission", ranging from “high-tempo government-directed evacuations to sensitive international repatriations”.
“Whether operating in contested airspace, remote locations, or under diplomatic sensitivity, we deliver aviation support that moves people – and missions – forward," it added.
What the deal is about
According to The Washington Post report, funding for the new fleet is expected to come from the congressionally approved $170 billion budget allocated for Trump’s border and immigration policies. It is pertinent to note that the budget also includes funding for new detention centres, ICE enforcement operations and construction of the border wall.
The new contract is the latest in the series of steps taken by the Trump administration to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history”. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, and Corey Lewandowski, a senior Trump adviser, instructed ICE to purchase 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit Airlines to expand deportation flights and possibly for their own travel, according to people familiar with the plan.
However, at that time, the officials warned that buying aircraft would be far more expensive than contracting flights, and upon looking into the proposal, they found that Spirit does not actually own the jets and that the planes lack engines. Hence, the plan was eventually put on hold. Hence, it will be interesting to see how this deal will play out.
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