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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airline jets before discovering that the carrier did not actually own the aircraft – and that the aircraft lacked engines.

This bizarre incident was detailed in a report released on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a former political strategist had recently attempted to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from Spirit Airlines. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the pair planned to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those sources also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

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Complicating matters further, the airline, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not possess the jets and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this season's historically lengthy federal shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a communication to the department.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were inaccurate but refused to provide additional clarification.

The legislature had previously authorized the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration and border security operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the administration was transporting individuals detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their legal rights, often by plane.

Leaked data examined from charter airline GlobalX detailed the travels of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.