The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday that it has agreed to buy six Boeing 737 planes to be used for deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Washington Post first reported DHS's contract for the nearly $140 million purchase of the 737s from Daedalus Aviation.
That Virginia company's CEO and chief financial officer hold identical roles in a separate company, Salus Worldwide Solutions, that has a nearly $1 billion contract with DHS to support voluntary "self-deportation," The Post noted.
The newspaper previously reported that the Trump administration has set a goal of deporting 1 million immigrants this year.
"We are delighted to see the media is highlighting the Trump administration's cost-effective and innovative ways of delivering on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CNBC when asked about the Post's article.
"This new initiative will save $279 million in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns, McLaughlin said.
"President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country," she said.
CNBC has requested comment from Daedalus Aviation.
Currently, most deportation flights overseen by ICE Air Operations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are carried out by charter-flight companies.