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The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airline aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not actually own the planes – and that the planes lacked engines.

This bizarre anecdote was detailed in a investigation published on Friday, which described how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. Sources with knowledge informed the outlet that the pair planned to use the planes to increase removal flights – and for personal travel.

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.

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Making the situation more complex, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not own the jets and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The proposal has since been paused, according to the report.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in October that during this fall's historically lengthy federal 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 government shutdown, the US Coast Guard entered into a sole source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for you and the deputy, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that some details in the report about the plane purchases were inaccurate but declined to provide further details.

The legislature had previously approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border-related operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.

In September, it was revealed that the administration was transporting immigrants detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Leaked data reviewed from charter airline Global Crossing detailed the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.