US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was looking to purchase a luxury $70 million jet fitted with a bedroom, showers, and a bar, saying it was needed for Cabinet officials’ travel and deporting migrants, according to a report.The Department of Homeland Security recently leased the Boeing 737 Max 8, which officials described as a luxury jet. ICE was now seeking approval from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to buy the aircraft for $70 million, two DHS officials told NBC News, as per The Independent.
ICE said the jet would be used for deportations and travel for Cabinet members, the officials said. That would include Kristi Noem, who spent $172 million in taxpayer funds on a pair of top-of-the-line private jets during the govt shutdown this past October.The jet featured a bedroom that included a Queen-sized bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and a bar. A DHS spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that “at least one of the bedrooms is currently being converted for seating to prepare the aircraft to meet the demands of its deportation mission set.”Some officials with ICE, which fell under DHS, initially felt the jet was too luxurious to be used for immigrant deportations, raising questions about whether it was a necessary expense to further President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda. However, DHS said the jet would help save taxpayers’ money.“This plane flies at 40 percent cheaper than what the military aircraft flies for ICE deportation flights — saving the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars. This is part of Secretary Noem’s broader efforts to clamp down on inefficiencies and save taxpayer dollars,” the spokesperson said.The jet could hold up to 18 passengers and sleep 14 people, but most deportation flights carried between 50 and 100 detainees, according to the report.Officials at ICE and OMB only considered the luxury jet after discussing ways it could be “retrofitted” for deportations, a DHS official told NBC. It was not immediately clear what that would look like or how many detainees would be transported.Despite the uncertainty, the official said they expected OMB to approve the purchase. The Independent contacted DHS for comment.It was not the first time Noem’s spending drew scrutiny. The two Gulfstream G700 luxury jets purchased in October for $172 million raised questions about how the agency paid for them during the govt shutdown.Earlier this year, the United States Coast Guard requested in its budget a single long-range Gulfstream V jet estimated to cost $50 million to replace an ageing one used by Noem.However, Democrats criticised the move as another example of Noem’s excessive spending at the expense of taxpayers. It remained uncertain where the funding came from.Noem’s spending in her previous role as South Dakota governor also drew attention, according to The Sioux Falls Argus Leader. The outlet reported in 2021 that she spent $68,000 in taxpayer money to redecorate the governor’s mansion. South Dakota taxpayers also covered about $150,000 in Noem’s personal and political travel costs, the Associated Press reported in March.
