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The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering that the airline did not truly possess the planes – and that the planes were missing engines.

This strange anecdote was contained in a report published on Friday, which described how the official and a former campaign manager had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. Sources with knowledge informed the outlet that the two intended to use the planes to expand removal flights – and for personal travel.

Those insiders also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply expanding current charter agreements.

Immigration officials confronting intense criticism after footage apparently shows unresponsive individual holding child during detention.

Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy protection for the second instance in the summer, did not possess the aircraft and their engines would have had to be acquired separately. The plan has since been paused, according to the report.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this season's historically lengthy government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200m.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the US Coast Guard signed a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200m,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the department.

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

The legislature had previously authorized the termed “major immigration bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border security operations, a amount that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government.

In September, it was reported that the government was moving immigrants held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their constitutionally protected rights, often by air.

Leaked data examined from private airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.