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The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes lacked power plants.

This bizarre incident was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which described how the official and a former political strategist had recently arranged to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the two intended to use the planes to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that ICE officials had cautioned them that buying planes would be significantly costlier than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

Immigration officials confronting fierce backlash after footage reportedly shows unresponsive individual holding child during detention.

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

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

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

A department representative told the Journal that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to provide further details.

Congress had previously approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border security operations, a sum that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the federal government.

In September, it was reported that the administration was moving immigrants held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their legal rights, often by plane.

Confidential information reviewed from private airline GlobalX detailed the travels of tens of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the nation before removal.