Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem handpicked contractors to lead a $100 million campaign to recruit Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rather than allowing competitive bids for the jobs, according to three administration officials and internal communications reviewed by NBC News.
Typically, several companies are allowed to bid on a contract, and officials who handle government procurement (not department leaders) decide based on who can do the best job for the lowest price.
President Donald Trump announced in a social media post Thursday that Noem would leave office effective March 31. His place in the administration became increasingly unstable following the murder of American citizens during immigration operations in Minneapolis; his fragile relationship with the United States Coast Guard, the only branch of the military under his command; and his comments this week at a congressional hearing that irritated Trump.
The president said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., would replace her. Trump said Noem would move to a new position: special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.”
In August, then-ICE Deputy Chief of Staff Madison Sheahan threatened an ICE employee’s job for suggesting the agency consider other contractors, according to internal communications. Sheahan said the contract award was “a decision made by the secretary,” according to internal communications.
Sheahan then called the employee into his office, where he was yelled at for overriding Noem by suggesting the contract go to a company offering to do the work for a cheaper price, said an administration official who overheard the conversation. The employee then relented and agreed to award the contracts to the companies Noem chose, the three administration officials said.
The campaign launched in late fall and aimed to hire 10,000 new ICE agents through television ads in select markets, visits to recruiting events and marketing to gun owners and former members of the military.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said: “Decisions about the ICE recruiting campaign contract were made by the ICE Director’s Office. This was the most efficient option to quickly turn around the recruiting campaign and get patriotic Americans signed up to help us remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists and gang members from our communities.”
But the three administration officials said Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons’ office was not involved in choosing contractors for the recruiting campaign and maintained that the decision came from Noem.
The contract for the ICE recruitment campaign was awarded to People Who Think and Safe America Media, two companies that were previously awarded a $220 million advertising campaign encouraging immigrants to self-deport.
Noem was questioned by lawmakers this week about that $220 million ad campaign, and her response infuriated Trump, NBC News reported.
“Did the president approve in advance your spending $220 million on nationwide television ads in which you are prominently featured?” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, asked Noem on Tuesday.
“Yes sir, we went through the legal process,” Noem said. He went on to confirm two more times that the president was aware of his decision.
Trump told Reuters on Thursday that he never approved of the campaign and knew nothing about it.
