The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airline jets before learning that the carrier did not truly possess the planes – and that the planes were missing power plants.
This bizarre anecdote was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which recounted how the secretary and a ex- campaign manager had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the pair planned to use the jets to increase removal flights – and for private use.
Those sources also stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had cautioned 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 time in the summer, did not possess the jets and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The proposal has since been paused, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this season's record-long federal shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream jets for $200m.
“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a sole source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a expense to the public of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a letter to the department.
A DHS spokesperson informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to provide further details.
The legislature had previously approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the federal government.
In the autumn, it was revealed that the administration was transporting individuals held as part of its removal program in ways that violated their constitutionally protected rights, often by plane.
Confidential information examined from private airline Global Crossing detailed the journeys of tens of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before deportation.
