The US Department of Homeland Security spent $464 million on a no-bid purchase of 10 used aircraft for deportation flights, including seven older Boeing 737 passenger jets and three business jets, then left most of the fleet parked for months in Louisiana. The planes were acquired starting last autumn and are largely stored at Lake Charles airport, with limited use because the department lacked enough staff to operate them.
The purchase has drawn scrutiny from Democratic senators Patty Murray and Chris Murphy, who raised oversight concerns over the procurement and the aircraft’s subsequent inactivity. DHS justified the no-bid deal on urgency grounds, saying it needed the fleet quickly for deportation operations and had no time to evaluate other offers.
An internal government document indicated the staffing shortfall constrained operations, while questions have also emerged over whether some of the aircraft may be repurposed for other government travel. The case has become a prominent example of emergency aviation procurement that delivered aircraft faster than the agency could deploy them.