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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This strange anecdote was contained in a report published on the end of the week, which described how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently arranged to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the two intended to use the jets to increase removal flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also claimed that ICE officials had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply increasing current charter agreements.

ICE facing intense criticism after footage apparently shows unresponsive individual holding child during arrest.

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

Meanwhile, Democrats on the House funding panel said in October that during this season's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream jets for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you 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 plane purchases were inaccurate but declined to provide additional clarification.

The legislature had earlier authorized the termed “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170 billion for immigration 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 reported that the administration was transporting individuals held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

Leaked data examined from private airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the country before removal.