DHS Head Allegedly Approved Acquisition of 10 Engineless Spirit Airlines Planes Which Carrier Didn't Own

The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the acquisition of Spirit Airlines aircraft before learning that the airline did not actually own the aircraft – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.

This strange anecdote was detailed in a report released on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a former campaign manager had recently attempted to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation informed the outlet that the two planned to use the planes to expand removal flights – and for personal travel.

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

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Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in August, did not own the jets and their engines would have had to be bought independently. The proposal has since been halted, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Democrats on the House funding panel said in October that during this season's record-long federal shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream aircraft for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the US Coast Guard entered into a single-source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury jets to facilitate travel for you and the deputy secretary, at a expense to the taxpayer of $200m,” 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 incorrect but refused to offer additional clarification.

The legislature had previously approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in the summer, which allocates roughly $170 billion for immigration and border security operations, a sum that makes ICE the most well-funded federal agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the administration was moving individuals detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that violated their legal rights, often by air.

Confidential information reviewed from charter airline Global Crossing outlined the travels of tens of thousands of immigrants who have been shuttled around the country before deportation.