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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This bizarre incident was detailed in a report published on the end of the week, which recounted how the official and a ex- campaign manager had recently attempted to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair intended to use the jets to increase deportation flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also stated that ICE agents had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

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Making the situation more complex, the airline, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not possess the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be bought separately. The plan has since been paused, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this season's record-long federal shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already acquired two Gulfstream jets for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a government shutdown, the US Coast Guard entered into a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to facilitate travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that some details in the report about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but refused to provide additional clarification.

The legislature had earlier authorized the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration and border-related operations, a sum that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the federal government.

In the autumn, it was revealed that the government was transporting individuals detained as part of its removal program in ways that violated their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Leaked data reviewed from private airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of tens of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the country before removal.