Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wants ICE to own and operate its own fleet of deportation planes—a move that could double monthly deportations and expand one of the most aggressive immigration crackdowns in modern U.S. history.

This plan is a massive expansion of ICE’s power, paid for by taxpayers.

With a blank check from President Trump’s $75 billion immigration enforcement budget, Noem is reportedly planning to purchase up to 30 aircraft—costing between $2.4 and $12 billion—to accelerate mass deportations across the country.

This isn’t about improving safety. It’s about building an infrastructure to carry out a political promise to deport 1 million people per year—regardless of the human cost.

ICE already uses chartered planes to deport tens of thousands of people annually. Now, instead of relying on regulated private carriers, the agency would create its own air operation: owning jets, hiring pilots and medics, and running round-the-clock deportation flights like a military airline.

It’s a plan designed not just for efficiency—but for scale, speed, and silence.

We, the undersigned, call on:

The U.S. Congress to block funding for ICE-operated aircraft and demand oversight of DHS’s expanding deportation capacity.

The Trump administration to halt any attempt to militarize deportation through a publicly owned airline system.

State and local leaders to oppose the use of local airports and public resources to support ICE’s air operations.

This isn’t just about planes. It’s about whether we invest billions in tearing families apart—or in building a more just, humane immigration system.