Overview
- Wall Street Journal reporting says Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski directed ICE to pursue 10 Boeing 737s from Spirit to expand deportation flights and for official travel.
- Officials reviewing the proposal found Spirit did not own the specific aircraft and that the airframes lacked engines, which would require separate purchases.
- The acquisition effort has been paused, and a DHS spokesperson told the Journal that some aspects of the reporting were inaccurate without providing details.
- ICE officials had cautioned that buying and outfitting planes would be significantly more expensive than increasing the number of existing flight contractors.
- The episode unfolded as internal tensions grew with border czar Tom Homan over deportation tactics and as Democrats questioned DHS over separate $200 million Gulfstream jet purchases during the shutdown.