Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is looking to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchase its own fleet of airplanes in order to make it easier for the agency to carry out mass deportations and get closer to the quota set by the Trump administration of deporting one million illegal immigrants per year.
According to a report by NBC News, ICE currently uses charter flights to deport immigrants back to their home country, a practice that dates back years. ICE has chartered up to 14 airplanes at a time, allowing them to deport around 15,000 migrants a month, per Jason Houser, ICE chief of staff during the Biden administration.
“If the goal is to get to 30 to 35,000 removals a month, you would need to double the number of planes,” Houser said.
Because of the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Act,” ICE might have the funds to make such an endeavor a reality. The sprawling spending package allocates $75 billion to the agency, $30 billion of which is set aside for ICE’s enforcement and deportation operations.
Even if Noem and ICE were to go through with the project of acquiring its own fleet of aircraft, it would still have logistical problems to consider. Under the current arrangement, the charter companies are responsible for staffing the planes with staff such as pilots, medics, and security.
Each charter flight costs around $25,000 per hour or usually around $100,000 to $200,000 per flight.
Houser said that he considered having ICE purchase and operate its own fleet of aircraft during the Biden administration as well, but due to insufficient funding, had to continue with the charter method.
Why do they need any aircraft at all? I’m sure that there’s got to be another flight back to the perpetrators point of origin. Make sure that said flight is one way.
Migrants have a significantly lower crime rate than native-born American citizens, so DHS may be deporting the wrong people if they’re really focused on criminals. And obviously price is not an issue, since there is zero chance Big Government can operate aircraft more cost-effectively than the private sector. So the whole thing is a big dumb counterproductive enterprise which gouges taxpayers and hurts America. Otherwise: GREAT idea!
This is the kind of government waste DOGE should be looking for…
The vast majority of them are not “perpetrators”. They’re human beings whose only “crime” was coming to this country to try to make a better life for themselves and their families, without the “proper paperwork”. Noem likely wants her own fleet so she can accelerate this administration’s inhumane Gestapo tactics with less public visibility — the devastating effects on our economy be damned.
There are plenty of aging wide body aircraft in the bone yard just waiting for the opportunity to deport vast numbers of illegals in busted seats, broken lav’s and a style appropriate for the pax’s
Migrants have a significantly lower crime rate than native-born Americans”
In what alternate universe did you arrive from?
“In what alternate universe did you arrive from”?
Hoosier84 apparently comes from the universe of facts. If you’d read something besides the MAGA B.S. you could join that universe too. Try these, for instance:
That is statistically impossible.
100% of those entering the country illegally have committed the crime of entering the country illegally.
Illegal Trespassing Aliens have the highest Crime rate of ALL because they broke the Laws of this Country by Entering without legal process.
They should be brought back to the spot where they entered and turned loose There.
To save money on this operation, the next genius idea will likely be an airdrop delivery.
Yeah Dougie ?
Maybe you’d think differently if a drunken illegal farm worker slammed into one of your loved ones. Go tell your woke bs somewhere else !
May I suggest an AN-225 !
I don’t want a drunken anyone to slam into my loved ones. But statistically, the drunken someone is more likely to be a native-born American. So maybe we should deport everyone just to be safe?
Years ago i found myself talking to an INS person about a couple non-descript DC-9 types at IWA when some INS busses pulled up and began unloading. I asked why fly them when busses are less expensive. He told me that the bus can only cross the border, while the aircraft lands, in this case, mexico city. Light bulb, it’s a longer walk back.
I suggested they were using the wrong type, should be using B727. The only passenger jet its possible to parachute from. We had a good chuckle “that’ll never happen”
No, just EVERYONE who did not come here legally. You know who this pisses off the most is people like my wife who came here LEGALLY on her own from Brazil. She believes everyone should have to jump through all the same hoops that she had to in order to be here.
When i worked there we had some Dash 8’s that could reasonably be converted to all coach seating. Definitely not good for overseas ops. Waaaaay cheaper to go ACMI wet leases with some A319/320/321 or 73’s. Hire/crosstrain more US Marshals Air Enforcement Officers (especially retired ones) as NTE 2-yr positions. This mass deportation will take a while but there is no need to hired permanent staff to do the job. I worked it for ten years and got out of the immigration business due to flip flop politics and refusal of any level of manager to even pretend to follow Title 8. I digress… I will say, being a professional Pilot for the USGov has some serious perks with the most coveted perks being job security. Pay is not great (when compared to the industry; GS-13 pilot with perks is like $120-180k). Plus if you’re in a Law Enforcement or Fire (think US Forest Svc) Pilot position you get the FERS Special Retirement benefits and can retire after 20-yrs of service and at age 50 or retire at any age agter 25-years total (in a FERS Special Retirement covered position). Anyways, getting into the airline business is never a good idea. JPATS already exists and it only has a skeleton crew. Again, contracting this out would be the best way to go.
Reminds me of my late teens and early 20’s when I worked as a Paramedic. We would take the annoying and ridiculous drunk homeless jokers from (a far away suburb) to a downtown Detroit medical center such as Receiving or the VA. Would usually take them 1-2 weeks to return but the local cops, FD, and ER’s would get some relief especially if we did a mass “deportation” from our service area. Quite humorous actually.
Government fleet-aircraft follow a totally different regulatory scheme… NOT remotely resembling FAA rules/regs. Aircraft condition/outfitting/maintenance/airworthiness/bla-bla would be at the discretion of the operating agency… out-of sight out of mind slip-shod for ignorant operators… a potentially dangerous situation for the crew and PAX.
This could even allow the agency to pack the prisoners in standing-up, chained-together… for relatively short duration flights, without any other cargo. Truly dangerous practices would evolve and remain hidden from view of the world.
And of course, the aircraft are only a fraction of the larger picture. Hangars, refueling vehicles, maintenance/spare parts/ engines/etc… and of course… maintainer/servicing-crews, heavy maintenance facilities, dispatchers, air crews, etc… US and foreign… would be needed. The list is mind boggling… just to simply hide what is likely to be be illegal or ghastly cruel herding of these disoriented non-convicted PAX.
Hightech replacement for concentration camps.
Re-birth of Air 'Murica.The aliens would be seated no different then how your US servicemen are. Old and tired airframes on sketchy contract carriers that no one has heard of. Thats how the US Marshals do it with JPATS “Con Air”. Hey buddy, the Fed does not operate any concentration camps. In fact and even today, detained aliens get better treatment than how similar types are treated North of the border. I too would cry on your shoulder if we were a 3rd world nation but we’re not and these aliens get treated like royalty. Weight loss programs, transitional health, excellent dental care, LONG-TERM Healthcare programs (which never made any sense to me - why are we holding aliens as prisoners long term if they have no other crime beyond Entering Without Inspection and Illegal Presence).
Maybe the resolution here would be to contract with a Foreign flag carrier (think Air Congo) and let them handle it with their fleet of 40-yr old ex-Aeroflot birds.
Claiming that illegals have a lower crime rate and thus deserve to stay is just wrong. All 50 - 70 million illegals need to be deported. Start charging Mexico and the home country for these illegals and have them charter the flights home.
For many years, I watched private large aircraft deport passengers on a weekly basis from Houston International airport. It was usually a 727 or other large plane. This is nothing new. However, I agree that the folks being deported are way less of a crime risk than most native Americans. Just look at the stats. This scheme to operate a private government airfare is just another typical scheme that’s ill thought out, and void of any actual forethought.
With all the money that’s wasted, DOGE didn’t stand a chance anyway. Oh wait, yep, DOGE finds the cash so they can waste it on schemes like this.