The Department of Homeland Security may be shifting its approach to deportation flights by ICE. 

According to reporting by the Washington Post, DHS recently signed a contract to purchase six Boeing 737 planes.

Currently, ICE primarily uses charter planes for deportations. This purchase suggests the agency has plans to expand its capacity to deport people using its own fleet.

What implications does this have for immigration enforcement and the way detainees are moved in and out of the United States? 

GUEST:
McKenzie Funk - Reporter at ProPublica covering immigration, privacy and climate change

RELATED LINKS: 
DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of 737 jets for deportations
Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”
At Seattle’s Boeing Field, Real-Time Video Offers a Rare Glimpse of America’s Troubled Deportation Flights
Avelo Airlines, a New ICE Air Contractor, Faces Backlash in Connecticut

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

The Department of Homeland Security may be shifting its approach to deportation flights by ICE.&nbsp;
According to reporting by the Washington Post, DHS recently signed a contract to purchase six Boeing 737 planes.
Currently, ICE primarily uses charter planes for deportations. This purchase suggests the agency has plans to expand its capacity to deport people using its own fleet.
What implications does this have for immigration enforcement and the way detainees are moved in and out of the United States?&nbsp;
GUEST:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/mac-funk">McKenzie Funk</a> - Reporter at ProPublica covering immigration, privacy and climate change</li>
</ul>
RELATED LINKS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/12/10/dhs-deport-boeing-contract/">DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of 737 jets for deportations</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ice-air-deportation-flights">Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is &ldquo;Only a Matter of Time&rdquo;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/seattle-boeing-field-ice-deportation-flights">At Seattle&rsquo;s Boeing Field, Real-Time Video Offers a Rare Glimpse of America&rsquo;s Troubled Deportation Flights</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/avelo-airlines-ice-air-connecticut">Avelo Airlines, a New ICE Air Contractor, Faces Backlash in Connecticut</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

DHS is in the process of purchasing six Boeing 737s to create their own deportation fleet. ProPublica immigration reporter McKenzie Funk joins Soundside to talk about what that might mean for the future of ICE.

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