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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the planes – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.

This strange incident was contained in a investigation released on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a former political strategist had recently attempted to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair planned to use the planes to expand removal flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also claimed that ICE officials had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

Immigration officials confronting intense criticism after footage apparently shows unconscious man holding child during detention.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not possess the jets and their engines would have had to be bought separately. The plan has since been paused, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in October that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft 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 aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the public of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the DHS.

A department representative informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but refused to offer additional clarification.

The legislature had previously approved the termed “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border security operations, a sum that makes ICE the most well-funded federal agency in the federal government.

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

Confidential information examined from private airline GlobalX outlined the travels of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before deportation.