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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not actually own the planes – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This bizarre incident was contained in a report published on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to buy ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. Sources with knowledge informed the outlet that the pair intended to use the jets to expand removal flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply increasing current charter agreements.

Immigration officials facing fierce backlash after footage apparently shows unresponsive individual clutching child during detention.

Making the situation more complex, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not own the aircraft and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The proposal has since been halted, according to the investigation.

In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in October that during this fall's record-long federal shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for you and the deputy, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the department.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to provide further details.

The legislature had earlier authorized the termed “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration and border-related operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded law enforcement agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the administration was moving immigrants held as part of its removal program in ways that breached their legal rights, often by air.

Confidential information examined from private airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the country before removal.