Topline
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is looking to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement own and operate its own fleet of deportation planes, according to NBC News, which would be a major shift from the agency’s reliance on chartering planes as the Trump administration seeks to conduct 1 million deportations per year.
Noem is pushing for the acquisition of an ICE deportation fleet. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Noem wants ICE to use tens of billions of dollars in funding from President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” to purchase and operate a fleet, which would mark the agency’s first move away from contracting with plane charter companies, NBC News reported.
Jason Houser, ICE’s former chief of staff, told NBC News that for the Trump administration to conduct 30,000 to 35,000 deportations a month, it would need to purchase about 30 planes, which would be a multibillion-dollar endeavor.
Daily scheduled charter flights used by ICE have an average cost of $8,577 per flight hour, with special high-risk charter flights costing between $6,929 and $26,795 per flight hour depending on aircraft requirements, according to ICE estimates.
NBC News noted ICE would need to staff planes with security, medics and pilots if it secures its own fleet, adding maintenance and compliance costs would also factor in.
DHS did not confirm NBC’s reporting when contacted by Forbes, while ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Is The Trump Administration Meeting Its Deportation Quota?
It does not appear so. Trump has vowed to carry out the largest deportation campaign in history, and his administration is pushing for 1 million deportations per year, according to multiple outlets. ICE deported nearly 150,000 people in the first half of this year, CBS News reported, citing internal government figures that suggest the agency could reach 300,000 deportations by the end of the year.
Big Number
$30 billion. That is how much money was allocated for ICE’s removal operations, transportation costs, hiring programs and more in Trump’s megabill.
Key Background
The Trump administration began a wave of deportation flights on Jan. 23, shortly after the president signed executive orders directing the military to the southern border, canceling migrants’ advance appointments with border officials and suspending parole programs. A series of the flights were directed to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a law last enacted during World War II to make deportations without court orders. The legality of the El Salvador flights is still being challenged in court after a federal judge accused Trump’s administration of contempt by carrying them out. As the administration has attempted to ramp up deportation flights, it has also increased the infrastructure needed to support the president’s deportation push, creating new immigration detention centers or expanding dozens of pre-existing facilities to house migrants awaiting deportation. The “Big Beautiful Bill” allocated $45 billion to expand ICE’s detention facilities.
Further Reading
Contempt Proceedings Paused Against Trump Administration Over El Salvador Immigration Flights (Forbes)
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Antonio Pequeño IV