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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the aircraft were missing power plants.

This bizarre incident was detailed in a investigation published on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a ex- political strategist had recently attempted to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the pair planned to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

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

Immigration officials confronting fierce backlash after footage apparently shows unconscious man holding child during detention.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in the summer, did not possess the aircraft and their engines would have had to be bought separately. The plan has since been paused, according to the investigation.

Meanwhile, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long federal shutdown, the DHS 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 signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to support 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 told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but declined to offer further details.

Congress had previously authorized the termed “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border-related operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded federal agency in the federal government.

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

Leaked data reviewed from private airline GlobalX detailed the travels of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the nation before deportation.