In a move that stunned even hardened Washington insiders, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has found herself at the center of another immigration fiasco—this time involving phantom airplanes, angry judges, and a deportation campaign that looks more like a political stunt than a policy.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Noem and her top adviser Corey Lewandowski authorized the “rental” of ten Spirit Airlines jets to accelerate deportations—and, in some cases, for “official leisure use.” There was just one tiny problem: Spirit Airlines doesn’t own its aircraft fleet. The planes, leased from other companies, had no engines and couldn’t legally fly.
The blunder, described by one DHS official as “a $100 million misunderstanding,” is now being held up as a metaphor for Trump’s chaotic immigration crackdown—loud, expensive, and spectacularly ill-conceived.
The ‘Midway Blitz’ Backfire
The failed airplane scheme is part of Noem’s larger attempt to replicate a high-profile deportation operation in Chicago, dubbed “Midway Blitz.”
Led by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, the militarized initiative aimed to “strike fear” into immigrant communities to trigger self-deportation. What the administration got instead was public outrage, lawsuits, and a judge’s rebuke so harsh it’s being quoted in law schools.
Over two months, ICE agents in Chicago made roughly 3,000 arrests—far below the White House’s ambitious target of 3,000 per day. Frustrated by the numbers, Trump has privately fumed that Noem “isn’t tough enough,” even as her officers deploy tear gas, pepper-ball rounds, and riot gear in residential neighborhoods.
Videos circulating online show agents firing chemical munitions near children and detaining day laborers outside grocery stores. Local clergy and journalists have been caught in the chaos. “This is not enforcement—it’s intimidation,” said Alderman Maria Hadden, whose district has seen multiple ICE raids.
A Federal Judge Draws a Line
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis accused Commander Bovino of lying under oath about a violent clash in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Bovino had claimed he was struck by a rock before ordering tear gas to be fired at protesters—a claim he later walked back when DHS failed to produce video evidence.
“I find the government’s evidence to be simply not credible,” Ellis said in her ruling, calling the violence “excessive” and “shocking to the conscience.”
Her decision banned the use of tear gas and riot weapons against nonviolent demonstrators, required body cameras for all ICE and Border Patrol officers in Illinois, and mandated that agents clearly identify themselves during operations.
But Noem’s DHS appears to be quietly resisting those orders. The Daily Beast previously reported that the department has refused to hand over drone footage of the clashes, citing “national security.”
Militarizing ICE
Rather than recalibrate, Noem has doubled down. She’s now pushing to replace ICE’s regional directors with Border Patrol veterans trained in tactical operations—effectively transforming America’s immigration agency into a paramilitary force.
Her goal, according to DHS insiders, is to meet Trump’s deportation quota of 600,000 removals by year’s end—a pace unseen since World War II.
“Noem wants shock and awe,” said one senior official. “She thinks visibility equals strength. But all it’s done is expose the dysfunction.”
Critics inside the department describe growing infighting between Noem and career ICE leaders such as Todd Lyons, who prefers targeting individuals with criminal records rather than sweeping raids. Even Trump’s longtime immigration hardliner Tom Homan has urged restraint.
But Noem has the president’s ear—and his temper. “ICE needs to go harder,” Trump said in a recent 60 Minutes interview. “Chicago’s just the start.”
The $200 Million Jets and the Spirit Debacle
In addition to the phantom Spirit Airlines deal, DHS also purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200 million, intended for “rapid deportation transport.” Within weeks, the project was quietly paused after Democratic members of Congress demanded oversight hearings.
“Two hundred million for luxury jets while families can’t afford groceries,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “This isn’t immigration enforcement—it’s elite cosplay.”
When confronted by reporters about the Spirit Airlines blunder, a DHS spokesperson claimed “no taxpayer money was lost.” But internal emails reviewed by The Journal show that multiple contracts had already been signed and cancelled—each one carrying hefty termination fees.
“It’s not just incompetence,” said one senior DHS lawyer. “It’s a culture of spectacle over substance. They want viral headlines, not results.”
White House Pressure Mounts
The Trump–Noem feud is reportedly heating up. White House insiders describe tense phone calls between the president and his Homeland Security secretary, with Trump yelling about “low deportation numbers” and “weak optics.”
Noem, meanwhile, is said to be privately complaining that the White House “doesn’t understand operational reality.”
Yet even as she flails under pressure, the self-styled “ICE Barbie” continues to project confidence. Visiting a Chicago ICE facility last month, she told agents: “We are going to make history. No one will ever doubt our resolve again.”
Hours later, The Wall Street Journal broke the story about her nonexistent planes.
A Symbol of Trump-Era Chaos
For many inside Washington, the episode encapsulates the dysfunction of Trump’s second-term immigration push: headline-grabbing theatrics masking deep operational failure.
“They’re building a deportation empire on fantasy,” said one former DHS official. “And in this case, the planes didn’t even have engines.”
As of this weekend, Noem remains in her post. But with the courts, Congress, and even parts of her own department closing in, her future looks increasingly turbulent.
And if she hoped ten imaginary Spirit Airlines jets could lift her political career—well, that plane’s not taking off anytime soon.
