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'No Expense Has Been Spared': Inside a Luxury Jet DHS Wants to Buy for Deportations

DHS aims to save taxpayer money with a $70 million Boeing 737 Max 8 jet flying 40% cheaper than military planes, for deportations and Cabinet travel.

  • On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Office of Management and Budget it seeks to buy a leased Boeing 737 Max 8 for $70 million for deportations and Cabinet travel.
  • DHS argues the shift will cut costs, saying ICE bought five non-luxury 737s under Secretary Kristi Noem to own deportation planes, flying 40% cheaper than military deportation flights rather than using charter flights.
  • Marketing materials show the jet's interior, revealing a bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs, a bar, and credit Peter Marino for design; capacity is 18 passengers, sleeps 14, and Noem recently flew to Tel Aviv on it.
  • Officials privately described ICE and DHS officials questioning the jet's luxurious outfitting and calling the deportation use far-fetched, while Coast Guard officials raised expense concerns amid reported tensions over a C-130 search-and-rescue mission.
  • The procurement plan positions the agency to buy eight jets, raising questions about need since most deportation flights carry 50 to 100 detainees, and past $172 million contracts drew scrutiny.
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NBC Dallas-Fort Worth broke the news in Fort Worth, United States on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
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