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The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airline jets before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.

This strange anecdote was detailed in a investigation released on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently arranged to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the pair planned to use the jets to increase removal flights – and for private use.

Those sources also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had cautioned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply increasing current charter agreements.

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Complicating matters further, the airline, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second instance in the summer, did not possess the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been paused, according to the investigation.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel said in October that during this season's record-long federal shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace 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 communication to the department.

A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to offer additional clarification.

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

In the autumn, it was revealed that the government was moving immigrants held as part of its removal program in ways that violated their constitutionally protected rights, often by plane.

Confidential information reviewed from private airline Global Crossing outlined the travels of tens of thousands of individuals who have been transported around the nation before deportation.