Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use an influx of funding to buy, own and operate its own fleet of aircraft for deportation flights, according to people familiar with internal discussions. ICE currently charters eight to 14 planes and averages about 15,000 removals a month. Former agency officials estimate that achieving Noem’s notional goal of 30,000–35,000 monthly deportations would require roughly 30 dedicated aircraft, eliminating scheduling conflicts with commercial charter companies. Aviation specialists put the purchase price of a commercial airliner at $80 million to $400 million, implying a total outlay of $2.4 billion–$12 billion for 30 jets, not including the costs of pilots, medical staff, security crews and maintenance that are now bundled into charter contracts. Charter flights currently run about $25,000 an hour, and unused aircraft are often leased out to other customers, such as sports teams. Funding for the prospective fleet could come from the $30 billion that President Donald Trump’s new spending law directs toward ICE deportation activities, part of more than $75 billion allocated to the agency in the measure. The Trump administration has pledged to deport 1 million undocumented immigrants annually, far above the 100,000–150,000 removals recorded in its first six months.