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The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airline aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the planes – and that the aircraft lacked engines.

This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a former political strategist had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the pair intended to use the jets to increase removal flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also claimed that ICE officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

Immigration officials confronting fierce backlash after video apparently shows unresponsive individual holding child during detention.

Complicating matters further, the airline, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not own the aircraft and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been paused, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this season'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 US Coast Guard signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the taxpayer of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the department.

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

The legislature had earlier approved the so-called “major immigration bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border security operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

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

Confidential information examined from charter airline GlobalX outlined the travels of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the nation before removal.