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

This bizarre anecdote was detailed in a investigation published on Friday, which recounted how the official and a ex- campaign manager had recently arranged to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair intended to use the planes to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply increasing existing flight contracts.

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Making the situation more complex, the airline, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in August, did not own the jets and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this fall's record-long government 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 federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to support travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the public of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the department.

A department representative informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the aircraft acquisitions were incorrect but declined to provide additional clarification.

Congress had previously authorized the termed “major immigration bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration and border-related operations, a sum that makes ICE the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was revealed that the administration was transporting immigrants held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Confidential information examined from charter airline GlobalX detailed the travels of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the country before removal.