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The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the airline did not actually own the planes – and that the aircraft lacked engines.

This bizarre incident was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the two planned to use the jets to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding existing flight contracts.

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Making the situation more complex, the airline, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in the summer, did not own the jets and their power plants would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been halted, according to the investigation.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in the autumn that during this season's historically lengthy federal shutdown, the DHS had already acquired 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 to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.

A department representative informed the outlet that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to provide additional clarification.

The legislature had earlier approved the so-called “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border security operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily 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 legal rights, often by plane.

Confidential information reviewed from private airline Global Crossing outlined the travels of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.