US begins deportation operations using newly acquired government-owned aircraft

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has used one of its newly acquired aircraft for deportation flights for the first time. The move ends months of uncertainty over the future of a fleet purchased to support President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

A DHS-owned Boeing 737-700 made two trips from Texas to Mexico on Wednesday and Thursday, according to publicly available flight-tracking data and Human Rights First, a non-profit organisation that monitors deportation flights.

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The flights mark the first known use of the department's government-owned aircraft for deportations. DHS has traditionally relied on private charter companies to transport people being removed from the US.

The department acquired seven Boeing 737 aircraft earlier this year. The planes were previously operated by Avelo Airlines and were purchased as part of the Trump administration's efforts to expand its immigration enforcement operations.

At the time, DHS said owning its aircraft would reduce its dependence on private aviation contractors and allow it to increase the scale of deportation operations.

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However, the purchase had drawn questions from critics over the need for a government-owned fleet, given the department's existing network of charter operators and access to military and commercial aircraft.

The planes had also seen limited use since their acquisition. Data from aircraft-tracking platform ADS-B Exchange showed that each of the seven aircraft had made fewer than five domestic flights since April 2026.

The future of the fleet had remained uncertain even as the department explored other uses for the aircraft. In July, DHS, now led by former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, sought information from potential contractors on managing deportation operations and other missions, including flights for senior department officials.

In September, the department said it was considering repurposing four of the aircraft for congressional delegations and other VIP travel. However, the notice did not specify plans for the remaining three planes.

The use of the aircraft for deportations comes amid wider questions over the department's spending on immigration enforcement. The fleet purchase had renewed scrutiny of how DHS was using billions of dollars approved by Congress last year to support Trump's immigration agenda.