Homeland Security Secretary Allegedly Approved Acquisition of Ten Engine-Free Spirit Airline Planes Which Airline Didn't Own
The secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security reportedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before learning that the carrier did not truly possess the planes – and that the aircraft were missing engines.
This strange anecdote was contained in a investigation published on Friday, which described how the secretary and a ex- campaign manager had recently arranged to buy ten Boeing 737 planes from the airline. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the pair planned to use the jets to expand removal flights – and for personal travel.
Those sources also stated that ICE agents had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be far more expensive than simply expanding current charter agreements.
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Complicating matters further, the airline, which entered bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not possess the aircraft and their power plants would have had to be bought separately. The plan has since been halted, according to the investigation.
In the interim, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security had already purchased two Gulfstream jets for $200 million.
“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a federal shutdown, the United States 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 public of $200 million,” Democratic lawmakers wrote in a communication to the DHS.
A department representative informed the outlet that some details in the report about the plane purchases were incorrect but declined to offer additional clarification.
The legislature had previously approved the so-called “big, beautiful bill” in July, which allocates roughly $170 billion for immigration-related and border security operations, a sum that makes ICE the most heavily funded federal agency in the US government.
In September, it was revealed that the administration was transporting individuals detained as part of its removal program in ways that breached their legal rights, often by air.
Confidential information reviewed from private airline GlobalX outlined the journeys of tens of thousands of immigrants who have been transported around the country before deportation.
