DHS Bought $464 Million in Planes for Deportations, Then Left Most Idle: Report
The agency has chartered about 25,800 flights in Trump’s second term, but internal records say it lacked staff to operate the new fleet.
- Since last fall, the Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on 10 used aircraft it claimed were urgently needed for deportation flights, but the fleet has remained largely idle.
- DHS bypassed competitive bidding by invoking an "unusual and compelling urgency" exemption for the contract, which went to Daedalus Aviation Corporation, led by William Walters, a doctor who donated $10,000 to a political committee connected to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
- Seven Boeing 737 passenger jets remain parked at an airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana, because the agency lacks personnel to operate them, while one luxury jet was leased to FBI Director Kash Patel for 12 months despite the FBI already having its own aircraft.
- On Wednesday, Senate Democrats on the Appropriations Committee demanded a full accounting of the spending, stating "The American people deserve a full accounting of this gross misuse of their tax dollars." Officials told lawmakers four 737s might be repurposed for congressional travel.
- Usage of the urgency exemption has surged from less than 1% of DHS spending in 2024 to nearly two-thirds of all contract dollars in 2026, covering projects from event planning to aircraft acquisitions.
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Homeland Security chief drops bonkers claim to justify bloated budget
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin wants Americans to know that the disastrously costly war in Iran is just the tip of the iceberg. During an appearance on Fox News on Friday morning, he defended the many billions President Donald Trump has been wasting on war and excessively militarized toys.
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe Ministry of Homeland Security wanted to use the planes for urgent deportations. Kristi Noem and successor Markwayne Mullin do not want to be responsible for this.
DHS Spent Half a Billion Dollars (No Bid) on a Fleet of Jets That Now Sit Unused in Hangars
Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee would really like to know why exactly the Department of Homeland Security decided and argued that it “urgently” needed to spend nearly half a billion dollars on a fleet of 10 jets of varying size and model … that it has almost entirely declined to use (or already gotten rid of) since purchasing. This week, top Democrats on the aforementioned committee sent a letter to DHS demanding detail…
DHS Spent $464 Million on Planes for 'Urgent' Deportations That Are Now Mostly Sitting Idle
DHS has continued using its existing ICE Air charter network, which has operated about 25,800 domestic and international flights since President Donald Trump returned to office
West Hawaii Today
The Seattle TimesHomeland Security paid $464 million for airplanes. Then it parked them
WASHINGTON — Starting last fall, the Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on a no-bid contract to buy 10 used airplanes from a firm in northern Virginia. The post Homeland Security paid $464 million for airplanes. Then it parked them appeared first on West Hawaii Today.
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