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The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airline jets before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the planes – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.

This strange anecdote was detailed in a report released on the end of the week, which described how the official and a former political strategist had recently attempted to buy ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair intended to use the planes to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those sources also stated that ICE officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply expanding existing flight contracts.

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

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this season's record-long federal shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream aircraft 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 acquire two new G700 luxury jets to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a expense to the public of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a communication to the department.

A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were inaccurate but refused to provide further details.

The legislature had earlier authorized the so-called “major immigration bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration and border-related operations, a sum that makes ICE the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

In September, it was revealed that the government was moving immigrants detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

Confidential information reviewed from private airline Global Crossing outlined the travels of tens of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the nation before removal.