The Department of Homeland Security is putting together a fleet of government-owned aircraft to operate deportation flights for undocumented immigrants, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
The department is currently looking for a company to operate the airplanes, the outlet said. The contractor would handle not only deportation flights but also emergency response missions and transportation for high-ranking government officials.
The nascent fleet reportedly includes two C-37Bs – the military’s name for converted Gulfstream 550s – and seven Boeing 737-700s. The C-37Bs are used only for executive transport, not deportation flights.
DHS currently charters deportation flights with independent operators, who use their own aircraft. Up until January, the department’s most visible partner was ultra-low-cost airline Avelo, which flew deportation flights from a base at Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona. The carrier ended its involvement amid criticism from immigration and human rights activists and some lawmakers, who argued that the company was profiting from the abuse of migrants.
Avelo said the deportation program “provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs.”
It is possible that DHS has elected to build its own fleet rather than continue to rely on outside companies that could be susceptible to public pressure.
Bloomberg reported that the new, government-owned fleet will be capable of flying “around the clock,” and on short notice.
