DHS Head Reportedly Approved Purchase of Ten Engine-Free Spirit Airline Planes Which Airline Didn't Own

The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly approved the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the airline did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the planes lacked power plants.

This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation released on the end of the week, which recounted how the secretary and a former political strategist had recently attempted to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the two intended to use the planes to increase removal flights – and for private use.

Those insiders also stated that ICE officials had warned them that buying planes would be significantly costlier than simply increasing current charter agreements.

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Making the situation more complex, Spirit, which entered bankruptcy protection for the second time in the summer, did not possess the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been halted, according to the report.

In the interim, Democratic lawmakers on the House appropriations committee said in October that during this fall's historically lengthy government shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.

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

A DHS spokesperson told the Journal that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were inaccurate but refused to provide further details.

The legislature had earlier approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170bn for immigration and border-related operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most well-funded federal agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was revealed that the administration was transporting immigrants held as part of its removal program in ways that breached their legal rights, often by air.

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