By Siddharth Philip, Alicia A. Caldwell and Myles Miller Seven Boeing Co. 737-700 jets, acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars and meant to ramp up President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign, have barely left the ground at southwest Louisiana’s Lake Charles Regional Airport.

They are the fleet that was acquired this year by Kristi Noem for the Department of Homeland Security, before she was fired after spending more than $200 million on a self-promotional ad campaign and amid withering criticism from Republicans over her leadership.

Each of the planes has conducted fewer than five flights since April 2026, according to data from ADS-B Exchange, which tracks aircraft around the world. Now DHS, run by Trump ally and former Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin, is looking for alternatives to use the planes.

In a September request for proposal, the department said it’s seeking to repurpose four of them for Congressional delegations and other VIPs. It’s unclear though what DHS plans to do with the other three aircraft and the agency didn’t respond to questions about the fleet.

The fate of the planes is emblematic of how DHS under Noem, and with the guidance of advisor Corey Lewandowski, pursued splashy projects that have since been criticized by Democrats and Republicans for wasteful spending. Some of the initiatives, including the advertising campaign that featured Noem riding a horse near Mount Rushmore, were canceled. A plan to convert warehouses into mega-immigration detention centers has largely been scrapped even after the government spent more than $1 billion acquiring the facilities.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement typically relies on military flights, commercial flights and chartered aircraft for deportations. But after Trump promised the largest deportation campaign in US history, DHS sought ways to more efficiently move around detainees. Having its own fleet would allow the agency to operate more efficiently, DHS said last year.

In March, on Noem’s final day on the job, the department acquired five jets from Daedalus Aviation, the New York Times reported. The purchase included two Gulfstream business jets and a Boeing business jet, advertised in an online listing as featuring 17 passenger seats, a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

A DHS notice in July sought information from contractors about how interested companies would run round-the-clock operation for deportations as well as other missions, including flights for senior department officials. Contractors would provide pilots, co-pilots and flight attendants and, when needed, flight nurses and security personnel. The agency hasn’t followed up with a contract for the work.

Instead, the government has increased the pace of deportation flights using existing contractors. So far this year through the end of September it has carried out more than 2,400 deportation flights to 82 countries, according to Human Rights First, a group that tracks ICE deportation flight data. ICE has separately overseen more than 11,200 domestic flights in 39 states.

Aircraft availability has never significantly constrained ICE’s ability to conduct deportations, said John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director in the Obama administration who questioned the need for a government-owned fleet that would leave the agency responsible for maintenance and staffing. “Why would you want to own your own fleet when you own all the problems?” he said.

One of the 737s earmarked for conversion to fly Congressional delegations is an 18-year-old aircraft that began life with Southwest Airlines Co. before being taken on by low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines in 2021. DHS acquired that aircraft via Daedalus Aviation in February 2026. Since mid-March, the aircraft has operated just one flight, a loop around Lake Charles on Sept. 16, according to the ADS-B Exchange data.

Another 737 designated for upgrades is 22 years old and began in service for Grupo Aeromexico before moving to Southwest Airlines and then Avelo. That aircraft likely operated a handful of flights in May and September, according to the trace of the aircraft on ADS-B Exchange.

DHS has also set aside two other former Avelo jets for cabin retrofits and upgrades before they’re used for congressional delegations, according to the request for proposal.

Sandweg said DHS has not previously overseen flights for Congressional delegations and the only agency executives who routinely travel via government planes are the Secretary and commandant of the Coast Guard. During his tenure, a government-owned fleet was never considered or even discussed because there was an extensive network of contractors to carry out deportation flights. “It’s 1,000 times more efficient to use contractors,” Sandweg said.