EXCLUSIVE: ICE Signs $278 Million Order With CSI Aviation for Next Year's Deportation Flights, Federal Records Show
Records reviewed by The Digital Free Press show U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a new $277.97 million order with charter operator CSI Aviation on Oct. 31 to run deportation flights for the year ahead, three days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The call order, numbered 70CDCR27FC0000001, appears in federal contract data published on USAspending.gov. It covers "dedicated and on-demand chartered flight services for Enforcement and Removal Operations under the ICE Air program," and its period of performance runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through Oct. 31, 2027. No news outlet had reported the new order as of publication, based on a search by The Digital Free Press.
What the ICE Air Order Covers
According to the record, the order was awarded by ICE's Detention Compliance and Removals office and is funded by the Removal Management Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations. The contract description says ICE Air "facilitates the safe, secure, and cost-effective transportation and deportation of illegal aliens."
The order is listed as firm fixed price. It was placed under a single-award blanket purchase agreement with CSI Aviation, numbered 70CDCR24A00000001, that ICE signed on March 8, 2024, and that runs through March 7, 2029. The record lists the extent of competition as "full and open competition."
The $277.97 million figure is what the government has obligated so far, not a cap. The record does not list a ceiling or total potential value for the new order.
Last Year's Order Grew to $1.29 Billion
The new order follows the same pattern as last year's. ICE signed the previous ICE Air call order under the same agreement, 70CDCR26FC0000001, on Oct. 31, 2025, with an opening obligation of $300 million, according to the transaction history on USAspending.gov.
That order then received seven modifications between December 2025 and September 2026, six of them funding-only actions, including $373.4 million on Dec. 11, 2025, and $312.8 million on July 29, 2026. By the time it ended on Oct. 31, 2026, obligations on it totaled about $1.29 billion, the records show.
Whether the new order will grow the same way depends on future funding actions, which had not been posted as of Monday. Federal spending data can also be revised after it is first published.
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly promoted the removal flights. In an Oct. 2 post on X, the department said, "The deportation planes are ready," adding that under President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, "ICE is delivering on the American people's mandate for mass deportations."
Video: Fox News report shared by the Department of Homeland Security on X (file, Oct. 2, 2026)
Who Runs the Flights
CSI Aviation is a charter and aviation services company that has worked as a federal contractor for decades. On its government services page, the company says it "is a seasoned federal contractor having provided a variety of contractual services to the U.S. Government for more than 30 years."
The order does not say how many flights it will pay for, which countries the flights will go to, or which airlines will operate the aircraft. Those details are not in the public contract record reviewed by The Digital Free Press.
The Digital Free Press has reached out to ICE's Office of Public Affairs and CSI Aviation for comment and will update this story with any response.
Sources: USAspending.gov award record for ICE call order 70CDCR27FC0000001 (https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CDCR27FC0000001_7012_70CDCR24A00000001_7012); USAspending.gov award record for the prior call order 70CDCR26FC0000001 (https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CDCR26FC0000001_7012_70CDCR24A00000001_7012); USAspending.gov record for blanket purchase agreement 70CDCR24A00000001 (https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_70CDCR24A00000001_7012); Department of Homeland Security post on X, Oct. 2, 2026 (https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2106072648635846831); CSI Aviation government services page (https://www.csiaviation.com/governmental-operations/).
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