Overview
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski directed ICE to pursue buying 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit to expand deportation flights and for leadership travel.
- ICE officials warned the proposed aircraft purchase would cost substantially more than increasing chartered flight capacity under existing contracts, according to the report.
- The reporting described internal friction over deportation strategy, with border czar Tom Homan raising concerns to President Trump about Lewandowski’s management, prompting the president to question him, sources said.
- A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that some elements of its account of the attempted aircraft purchase were inaccurate, without specifying which parts.
- House Democrats are scrutinizing DHS aviation spending after the Coast Guard entered a sole-source $200 million deal for two Gulfstream G700 jets during the government shutdown, according to an October letter.