DHS Announces More Voluntary Removal Flights
A new notice issued on Sam.gov announces the agency's plans to have another removal operations contract signed by April 2026.
Editor's Note: The Department of Homeland Security removed the contract proposal from SAM.gov shortly after this article was published.
Project Salt Box was able to archive a version of this solicitation before it was removed.
In an announcement released this afternoon titled, Comprehensive Support for Removal Operations, DHS published their plans to issue another voluntary removal contract by the end of April 2026. The announcement was released on Sam.gov, the government’s official procurement website.
This notice references both Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion and Executive Order 14165, Securing Our Borders, and serves to let interested vendors know that they can expect a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be released in February/March 2026. DHS is specifically looking for vendors who can provide domestic and international deportation flights, at scale.
“The Department requires a scalable and total solution to continue assisting the Department’s domestic and international voluntary return operations of illegal aliens through dedicated aircraft and commercial ticketing operations, and other related services, at numerous domestic and international locations.”
- Quote from Sam.gov listing
Expanding the “ICE Air” Network
This contract (or contracts - the announcement doesn’t specify), would be in addition to an already large removal infrastructure. CSI Aviation is currently operating deportation flights on multiple contracts that total close to $1 billion in value. One of those contracts is set to expire at the end of this month, so it is possible that today’s announcement is related to its re-compete. Salus Worldwide Solutions is another key player in the agency’s deportation network. Last year, the company was awarded a $293 million contract to provide comprehensive support to removal operations.
In addition to private contractors, DHS also purchased six Boeing 737 planes of their own late last year, as reported on by The Washington Post. The deal cost the agency $140 million.
The Significance of “Voluntary Removal” Flights
The announcement of this voluntary removal contract is a sign of DHS’ continued investment in self-deportations. Last year, the White House established Project Homecoming to encourage self deportations through the CBP Home App, with a promise of a free airline ticket, assistance with documents, and an exit bonus. Self deportation is also being offered to individuals in detention centers who are facing an uncertain amount of time in custody as they await deportation processing. By securing this new removal contract, DHS is expanding the flight network needed to turn these “voluntary” choices into a large-scale pipeline for departure.
What to Watch for Next
In the coming weeks to month, we can expect to see an official RFP released. We will learn in that document whether this is a new requirement, or a re-compete of an existing contract. A new contract would indicate an expansion in removal operations, while a re-compete could mean a new company is about to enter the ICE Air network.
This is a developing story.