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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airlines aircraft before learning that the airline did not actually own the aircraft – and that the aircraft were missing power plants.

This bizarre anecdote was contained in a investigation released on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a former political strategist had recently arranged to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. Sources with knowledge informed the outlet that the pair planned to use the jets to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had cautioned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply increasing current charter agreements.

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

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not own the jets and their power plants would have had to be bought independently. The plan has since been paused, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security 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 entered into a sole source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the DHS.

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

Congress had previously approved the termed “major immigration bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

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

Leaked data reviewed from charter airline GlobalX detailed the journeys of tens of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before deportation.