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The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering that the carrier did not actually own the planes – and that the aircraft were missing engines.

This bizarre incident was contained in a report published on the end of the week, which recounted how the official and a former political strategist had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. 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 stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.

ICE facing fierce backlash after footage apparently shows unresponsive individual holding infant during arrest.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not own the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be acquired separately. The proposal has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the US Coast Guard entered into a sole source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the public of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the department.

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

Congress had previously authorized the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration and border security operations, a amount that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.

In September, it was revealed that the government was moving individuals held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Leaked data examined from charter airline GlobalX detailed the journeys of tens of thousands of immigrants who have been transported around the country before deportation.