The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will spend nearly $140 million to buy six Boeing 737 planes that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will use for deportation flights.
The Washington Post first reported the details of the contract.
In an interview with CNBC, DHS Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin claimed the new initiative will save "$279 million in taxpayer dollars."
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The funding for the new fleet of planes will come from President Donald Trump's $170 billion tax bill that Congress approved earlier this year, according to reporting from The Washington Post — citing an anonymous source.
Deportation flights are currently carried out by charter-flight companies hired by a division of ICE.
Some Republican members of Congress praised DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday with the House Homeland Security Committee.
Watch: Deportation flights begin as White House pursues new immigration enforcement priorities
