A controversial Boeing 737-8 BBJ acquired during Kristi Noem’s turbulent tenure at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now flying under White House control for VIP government transport, including cabinet travel and missions tied to the first lady.
The aircraft, a 2018-built 737-8 BBJ registered N471US, had previously been operated in the DHS fleet and is now being repurposed for broader administration use.
The aircraft has recently been used in connection with official government travel, including support for Vice President JD Vance’s recent trip to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials, and has flown missions using the “EXEC1F” callsign, which has also been used for first lady travel.
What makes the aircraft controversial is not simply that it saw a change in role. It is that the jet was originally tied to DHS and immigration-enforcement spending, yet was fitted more like a high-end executive transport.
The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post reported that the roughly $70 million aircraft included features such as a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, flat-screen televisions, leather seating and a bar, details that drew criticism from US lawmakers and others who questioned why a deportation-linked aircraft needed that kind of interior.
US President Donald Trump fired Noem as homeland security secretary on March 5, 2026, after weeks of scrutiny over her leadership and spending decisions. Reporting has not shown that the jet alone cost her the job, but the aircraft became part of the larger criticism surrounding her time at DHS.
The White House decision to retain the airplane rather than dispose of it or return it to a narrower DHS role is raising fresh questions. The Wall Street Journal reported that some DHS and ICE officials had assumed the purchase might be shelved after Noem’s exit, but senior White House officials instead kept the aircraft and approved its use for broader VIP transport.
DHS has defended the aircraft as providing secure command-and-control capability and rapid long-range mobility for cabinet officials.
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