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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airline aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes were missing engines.

This strange anecdote was detailed in a investigation released on Friday, which described how the secretary and a ex- political strategist had recently attempted to buy ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the pair planned to use the planes to expand removal flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding existing flight contracts.

Immigration officials facing intense criticism after video apparently shows unconscious man clutching infant during arrest.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not possess the jets and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been halted, according to the investigation.

In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in October that during this season's record-long government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the DHS.

A department representative told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to provide further details.

Congress had earlier authorized the termed “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration and border security operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded federal agency in the federal government.

In September, it was revealed that the administration was transporting immigrants held as part of its removal program in ways that breached their legal rights, often by air.

Confidential information reviewed from private airline GlobalX detailed the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the country before removal.