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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the airline did not truly possess the planes – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This strange incident was contained in a investigation released on Friday, which described how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to buy ten Boeing 737 planes from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair planned to use the jets to expand removal flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had warned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

ICE facing intense criticism after video reportedly shows unconscious man holding infant during detention.

Making the situation more complex, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second instance in the summer, did not own the jets and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The plan has since been paused, according to the investigation.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this season's historically lengthy government 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 US Coast Guard entered into a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for you and the deputy, at a expense to the taxpayer of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the department.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that some details in the report about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but refused to provide additional clarification.

Congress had previously authorized the termed “major immigration bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170 billion for immigration and border security operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the government was transporting individuals detained as part of its removal program in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

Leaked data reviewed from charter airline GlobalX outlined the travels of tens of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the nation before deportation.