Homeland Security Secretary Reportedly Approved Purchase of Ten Engine-Free Spirit Airlines Planes Which Carrier Did Not Possess

The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security reportedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the airline did not truly possess the planes – and that the planes were missing power plants.

This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the pair intended to use the planes to increase removal flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.

Immigration officials facing fierce backlash after footage reportedly shows unresponsive individual clutching infant during arrest.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in the summer, did not own the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be acquired separately. The proposal 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 historically lengthy government shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200 million.

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

A department representative told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to offer further details.

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

In September, it was revealed that the government was transporting individuals detained as part of its removal program in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

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