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

This bizarre anecdote was detailed in a report released on Friday, which described how the official and a ex- campaign manager had recently attempted to buy 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 removal flights – and for private use.

Those sources also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had warned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply increasing current charter agreements.

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Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy protection for the second instance in the summer, did not possess the jets and their power plants would have had to be acquired separately. The proposal has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury jets to facilitate travel for you and the deputy, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the department.

A department representative told the Journal that some details in the report about the plane purchases were inaccurate but declined to offer further details.

Congress had earlier approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most well-funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

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

Confidential information reviewed from charter airline GlobalX detailed the travels of tens of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the country before deportation.