Kristi Noem Leased a $70M Luxury ICE Jet — Melania Trump Now Has Access to It

Kristi Noem had leased a controversial $70 million private jet before she was removed as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite her being ousted, President Donald Trump has decided to retain the vehicle for top officials in his administration, including First Lady Melania Trump.

Kristi's department had expected to acquire the jet before her exit. The department was certain that the purchase would not go through after the former Homeland Security secretary's firing, but the administration decided to go ahead with it.

According to a DHS spokesperson, “ICE purchased this plane before Secretary [of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin] was confirmed. This aircraft will be available to Cabinet members who need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility.”

ICE has often faced scrutiny from critics for the enormous amounts of money that have gone into running its facilities and operations. Despite the budget that was allocated to the DHS, there were reports that ICE detention centers were worse than jails.

Further, the slew of controversies that surrounded ICE, including the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, caused much pushback from Democrats and a section of the general American public as well.

In February, with regards to the $70 million jet, the DHS reported that it was going to be used for deportation purposes, with an area inside the Boeing 737 Max 8 luxury jet being converted to seat deportees. The jet has a bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and a functioning bar, as reported by NBC News.

DHS officials said that this luxury jet was meant to save taxpayer’s money. According to the spokesperson, “This new plane will serve dual missions — both as ICE deportation flights and for cabinet-level travel. This plane flies at 40 percent cheaper than what the military aircraft flies for ICE deportation flights — saving the American taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars. This is part of (former) Secretary Noem’s broader efforts to clamp down on inefficiencies and save taxpayer dollars.”

Melania does not travel much as a representative of the government. It has been reported that the first lady is in constant communication with the president, despite not residing in the White House for most of the time. However, she remains by the president’s side during important events, such as entertaining guests on Easter Sunday or meetings with foreign heads of states.

The first lady has been pushing for a greater presence during President Trump’s second term in office. Critics have pointed out that President Trump’s approval ratings have gone down drastically, while Melania has been ranked among the least popular first ladies in the country according to a recent survey.

The jet that has been purchased has not yet been used for deportation activities. As mentioned earlier, the original purpose of the purchase was for the jet to serve as transportation for "dual missions," i.e., deporting illegal immigrants and Cabinet travel.