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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airline jets before discovering that the carrier did not actually own the aircraft – and that the planes lacked power plants.

This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation released on Friday, which recounted how the official and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the two planned to use the planes to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those sources also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had cautioned them that buying planes would be significantly costlier than simply expanding existing flight contracts.

Immigration officials confronting intense criticism after footage reportedly shows unresponsive individual clutching child during detention.

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

In the interim, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a federal shutdown, the US Coast Guard entered into a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the public of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A department representative told the Journal that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to offer additional clarification.

Congress had previously authorized the so-called “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border-related operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded federal agency in the federal government.

In the autumn, it was revealed that the government was transporting individuals detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected rights, often by plane.

Leaked data reviewed from charter airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the country before removal.