The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently entered into an agreement to acquire a fleet of Boeing aircraft, a move designed to bolster the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to deport illegal immigrants, as per information obtained by Fox News Digital.
According to Fox News Digital, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, expressed her satisfaction with the media's coverage of the Trump administration's cost-effective and innovative strategies. "We are delighted to see the media is highlighting the Trump administrations cost-effective and innovative ways of delivering on the American peoples mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," she said.
McLaughlin further elaborated on the financial benefits of the initiative, stating, "This new initiative will save $279 million in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns."
The Washington Post initially reported that the DHS had signed a contract to purchase six Boeing 737 aircraft for deportation purposes. The funding for this initiative was included in the comprehensive bill approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, which furthered his agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense, and the national debt. The bill allocated $170 billion for various border and immigration initiatives.
The contract was signed with Daedalus Aviation, a commercial and charter aviation service company based in Virginia. However, it remains uncertain whether the Boeing 737 planes are new or if the U.S. government will be responsible for the fleet's maintenance.
Trump's 2024 election campaign emphasized the removal of illegal immigrants, whose numbers had surged under the Biden administration. A report published by the Pew Research Center in August revealed that the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S. had reached a record high of 14 million in 2023 during Biden's tenure.
From the first day of his office, the Trump administration has been actively working to detain and deport the millions of illegal immigrants. This began with Trump signing an executive order that rescinded the enforcement limits set during the Biden era. Despite facing legal challenges, the Trump administration has conducted more than 1,700 deportation flights since January 20, as per a watchdog report.
However, the administration's deportation efforts have been met with criticism from Democrats, particularly during the riots in Los Angeles in early June. Local leaders, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom, publicly condemned the immigration raids and expressed their support for the state's illegal immigrants. Newsom criticized the raids and federal officers, stating, "Theyre sitting there on horses with American flags, running through soccer fields, scaring kids that are playing soccer in the middle of the day at a summer camp. For what? Just toughness. Its a weakness masquerading as strength."
Despite the criticism, the Trump administration's efforts have yielded results. In September, McLaughlin announced that more than 2 million illegal immigrants had been removed or self-deported from the U.S. since Trump's return to the Oval Office. She stated, "The numbers dont lie: 2 million illegal aliens have been removed or self-deported in just 250 days, proving that President Trumps policies and Secretary Noems leadership are working and making American communities safe."
She further added, "Ramped-up immigration enforcement targeting the worst of the worst is removing more and more criminal illegal aliens off our streets every day and is sending a clear message to anyone else in this country illegally: Self-deport or we will arrest and deport you."
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