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The head of the US Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the airline did not actually own the aircraft – and that the planes lacked engines.

This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation released on Friday, which described how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to purchase 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the two intended to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that ICE officials had cautioned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.

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Complicating matters further, the airline, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not own the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be bought independently. The plan has since been halted, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers on the House funding panel 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 single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the DHS.

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

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

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

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