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The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the carrier did not actually own the planes – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This bizarre anecdote was detailed in a report published on Friday, which described how the secretary and a ex- political strategist had recently arranged to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the two intended to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for private use.

Those sources also stated that ICE agents had cautioned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.

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

Making the situation more complex, the airline, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in the summer, did not possess the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be acquired independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this season's historically lengthy federal shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream aircraft for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the public of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A department representative informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were inaccurate but refused to offer further details.

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

In the autumn, it was revealed that the administration was moving immigrants detained as part of its removal program in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

Leaked data examined from private airline GlobalX outlined the travels of tens of thousands of immigrants who have been transported around the nation before removal.