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The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the carrier did not actually own the aircraft – and that the planes lacked engines.

This bizarre anecdote was contained in a investigation published on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a ex- campaign manager had recently attempted to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the two planned to use the planes to expand deportation flights – and for private use.

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

ICE confronting intense criticism after video apparently shows unresponsive individual clutching child during detention.

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

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall'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 midst of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a sole source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the department.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to provide further details.

Congress had earlier approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border security operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded federal agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the government was moving individuals detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

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