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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes lacked engines.

This strange anecdote was contained in a report released on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a ex- political strategist had recently arranged to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the pair intended to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those sources also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had cautioned 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 time in August, did not own the jets and their power plants would have had to be acquired separately. The proposal has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this season's historically lengthy government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a government shutdown, the US Coast Guard signed a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to offer further details.

Congress had earlier approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration 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 reported that the government was transporting individuals held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Leaked data reviewed from private airline GlobalX outlined the travels of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.