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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airlines aircraft before learning that the airline did not actually own the planes – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.

This bizarre anecdote was detailed in a report released on Friday, which described how the official and a former political strategist had recently arranged to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the pair planned to use the planes to expand removal flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also claimed that ICE officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.

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Making the situation more complex, the airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in August, did not possess the aircraft and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the investigation.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this fall's historically lengthy government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already purchased two Gulfstream aircraft for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the public of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the department.

A department representative informed the outlet that some details in the report about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but declined to offer additional clarification.

The legislature had earlier approved the so-called “major immigration bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most well-funded federal agency in the US government.

In September, it was reported that the government was moving individuals held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected 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 country before removal.