The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed the purchase of six Boeing 737 jets to enhance Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Trump deportations. These aircraft aim to improve efficiency through better flight patterns. According to DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a post on X, the initiative will save US taxpayers $279 million.
The contract, valued at nearly $140 million, involves Daedalus Aviation, a firm established in early 2024, rather than a direct deal with Boeing. Boeing declined to comment when contacted by AFP. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, over 1,700 deportation flights have occurred to dozens of countries, as reported by Human Rights First.
Background on Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Trump has prioritised preventing unlawful immigration and accelerating deportations in his second term. His policies include suspending immigration applications from nationals of 19 of the poorest countries and launching raids by masked law enforcement. At a rally in Pennsylvania on an unspecified Wednesday in 2025, Trump reiterated controversial remarks, questioning why the US takes people from “shithole countries” like Somalia instead of places like Norway or Sweden.
He has also ordered the admission of white South African farmers to the US, citing their persecution. Experts note this rhetoric echoes 1920s nativist policies favouring Northern and Western Europe. According to University of Albany history professor Carl Bon Tempo in an AFP interview, such anti-immigrant views now come directly from the White House.
Trump’s comments, including calling Somali immigrants “trash,” align with broader actions like calling for “reverse migration” after an Afghan national attacked two National Guard soldiers on 28 November 2025.
Responses from Officials and Critics
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey responded on X, calling Trump’s comments “more proof of his racist, anti-immigrant agenda.” Florida Republican lawmaker Randy Fine defended Trump on CNN, stating “not all cultures are equal” and praising his blunt language. Immigration policy expert Terri Givens from the University of British Columbia told AFP that “any filter he might have had is gone.” Syracuse University political science professor Mark Brockway noted to AFP that immigrants are caught in Trump’s fight against an “invented evil enemy.” No response was available from the White House on specific criticisms as of the sources’ publication.
