Overview
- Homeland Security confirmed a contract with Virginia-based Daedalus Aviation to provide six 737s for ICE, marking a shift from chartered operations.
- Officials said the purchase draws on the roughly $170 billion border and immigration funding approved by Congress earlier this year.
- Corporate records show Daedalus executives also lead Salus Worldwide Solutions, which holds a separate DHS contract near $1 billion that is under litigation, spurring oversight questions.
- DHS has not disclosed key operational details such as aircraft variants and configuration, crewing and maintenance plans, or basing and oversight.
- The move supports the administration’s accelerated removal goals—watchdogs tracked more than 1,700 flights to 77 countries this year—while former ICE leadership questions whether owning jets will prove cheaper than charters.