DHS Head Reportedly Approved Purchase of Ten Engine-Free Spirit Airlines Planes That Airline Did Not Possess

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

This strange anecdote was detailed in a report published on the end of the week, which described how the secretary and a ex- political strategist had recently attempted to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes 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 private use.

Those sources also claimed that ICE agents had warned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply expanding 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 own the jets and their engines would have had to be acquired independently. The proposal has since been paused, according to the report.

In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's historically lengthy government shutdown, the DHS had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.

“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard entered into a single-source agreement with Gulfstream Aerospace to acquire two new G700 luxury aircraft to facilitate travel for you and the deputy, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to the DHS.

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

Congress had earlier approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which dedicates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border-related operations, a sum that makes Immigration and Customs Enforcement the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the US government.

In the autumn, it was reported that the government was transporting individuals detained as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their legal rights, often by plane.

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