DHS Head Reportedly Approved Acquisition of 10 Engineless Spirit Airline Planes Which Carrier Didn't Own
The secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security allegedly authorized the acquisition of Spirit Airlines aircraft before discovering that the carrier did not truly possess the aircraft – and that the aircraft lacked power plants.
This strange incident was contained in a investigation published on the end of the week, which described how the secretary and a ex- campaign manager had recently arranged to purchase ten Boeing 737 planes from Spirit Airlines. Sources with knowledge told the paper that the two planned to use the jets to increase deportation flights – and for personal travel.
Those sources also claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had warned them that purchasing aircraft would be significantly costlier than simply increasing existing flight contracts.
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Complicating matters further, the airline, which filed for bankruptcy proceedings for the second instance in August, did not possess the aircraft and their engines would have had to be bought separately. The proposal has since been halted, according to the investigation.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House funding panel said in the autumn that during this fall's record-long government shutdown, the DHS had already acquired two Gulfstream aircraft for $200 million.
“It has come to our attention that, in the middle of a federal shutdown, the United States Coast Guard signed a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for the secretary and the deputy, at a cost to the public of $200 million,” Democratic representatives wrote in a communication to the DHS.
A department representative informed the outlet that parts of its reporting about the plane purchases were incorrect but refused to offer further details.
The legislature had previously authorized the so-called “major immigration bill” in the summer, which dedicates roughly $170bn for immigration-related and border-related operations, a amount that makes ICE the most well-funded federal agency in the US government.
In the autumn, it was reported that the administration was transporting individuals held as part of its deportation agenda in ways that breached their legal rights, often by plane.
Confidential information examined from charter airline GlobalX detailed the journeys of thousands of individuals who have been shuttled around the nation before removal.
