A controversial plan by U.S. Homeland Security officials to purchase passenger jets for immigration deportations unraveled when investigators discovered the aircraft weren't actually owned by the selling airline - and none of them came with engines.
Botched Aircraft Acquisition
According to a Friday report in The Wall Street Journal, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and department adviser Corey Lewandowski had authorized the purchase of 10 Boeing 737 jets from budget carrier Spirit Airlines. The intended purpose was to support the Trump administration's accelerated deportation program, which involved masked agents apprehending immigrants from streets.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials had previously warned both Noem and Lewandowski that buying planes outright would prove significantly more expensive than simply expanding existing flight contracts. Despite these warnings, the acquisition moved forward until officials examining the proposal made startling discoveries.
Multiple Oversights Revealed
When administration officials scrutinized the proposed deal, they identified two critical problems that undermined the entire transaction. Spirit Airlines didn't actually own the aircraft they were attempting to sell, and perhaps more remarkably, none of the ten planes included engines.
The Journal's reporting also indicated that beyond their intended use for immigration enforcement, Noem had planned to utilize the jets for personal travel purposes. This revelation comes amid heightened scrutiny of government officials using agency aircraft for non-official business.
Pattern of Questionable Aircraft Use
The report emerges alongside another controversy involving FBI Director Kash Patel, who recently faced criticism for using a $60 million FBI jet to attend his girlfriend's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Pennsylvania wrestling event.
Patel defended his actions by describing his girlfriend as "a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes."
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded to The Wall Street Journal's reporting by claiming some details about the attempted plane purchases were inaccurate, though they declined to specify which aspects of the story they contested.
