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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airline jets before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the planes – and that the aircraft lacked engines.

This strange incident 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 told the paper that the pair intended to use the planes to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that ICE officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

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Complicating matters further, the airline, which filed for bankruptcy protection for the second instance 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.

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

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a government shutdown, the US Coast Guard signed a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to facilitate travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the public of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the DHS.

A department representative told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were inaccurate but refused to offer additional clarification.

The legislature had earlier authorized the termed “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border-related operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

In the autumn, it was revealed that the administration was transporting immigrants detained as part of its removal program in ways that violated their legal rights, often by plane.

Confidential information examined from private airline Global Crossing outlined the journeys of tens of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the country before deportation.