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

This bizarre anecdote was contained in a report published on Friday, which described how the official and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the pair planned to use the planes to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

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

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Making the situation more complex, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not possess the aircraft and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the investigation.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this season's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream aircraft for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to offer additional clarification.

The legislature had previously approved the termed “big, beautiful bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.

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

Leaked data examined from private airline Global Crossing detailed the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the country before deportation.