WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on 10 used aircraft intended in part to support deportation flights, but most of the fleet has remained largely idle for months as the agency lacks the crews and mechanics needed to operate it, according to government documents and congressional records reviewed by The New York Times.
The purchases were made through a no-bid contract with Daedalus Aviation Corp., a Northern Virginia company that had not previously held a federal contract. DHS said the acquisition was justified by “unusual and compelling urgency” because the aircraft were urgently needed to support President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.
The fleet consists of seven Boeing 737 passenger aircraft and three business jets. The seven 737s have spent extended periods parked at an airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana, while an internal DHS document said the department did not have sufficient personnel to operate them. DHS has said the passenger planes underwent maintenance checks and that two were expected to begin deportation flights later in August.
The acquisition has also prompted questions about how the aircraft are being used. Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats said DHS had acknowledged that most of the planes would not be used for deportations. In a letter to the department, Senators Patty Murray and Christopher Murphy requested details on the purchase prices and intended uses of the aircraft.
Two of the three business jets were being considered for use by other federal agencies. The FBI confirmed it was using one Gulfstream aircraft, saying it was paying DHS substantially less than the cost of leasing a comparable plane privately and that the aircraft supported multiple agency operations. The Pentagon said no agreement had been signed to use another aircraft.
DHS defended the procurement while shifting responsibility to former Secretary Kristi Noem, who left the department in March. A department spokesperson said the Daedalus contract “was made and approved by department leadership before Secretary Mullin was sworn in.” Noem's spokeswoman, in turn, attributed the finalization of the purchase to Secretary Markwayne Mullin's tenure. Contract records show the contract increased by $303 million on the day Mullin took office.
The department has continued seeking a contractor to provide crews, mechanics and other operational support for the fleet. A recent solicitation indicated that such an arrangement could begin next summer, leaving the aircraft's longer-term role in the deportation program dependent on the completion of that process.
