Screengrab from DHS Youtube channel
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded contracts to two Republican-linked firms for a $200 million advertising campaign praising President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, bypassing the full competitive bidding process, according to federal records reported by The Associated Press.
A DHS spokesperson told the outlet that the contract went through a “competitive procurement process.” However, a federal document posted last week revealed that the agency cited Trump’s national emergency declaration at the U.S.-Mexico border as justification for skipping standard bidding procedures as it constitutes “an unusual and compelling urgency.”
The document states that DHS required an “immediate domestic and international campaign” to instruct undocumented immigrants to leave and to discourage further illegal immigration.
One of the firms awarded the contract, People Who Think, LLC, is owned by political consultant Jay Connaughton, a former Trump campaign adviser. The other, Safe America Media, LLC, was incorporated in Delaware shortly before the contract solicitation and is linked to Republican consultant Mike McElwain.
The advertisements, which air on television, radio, and digital platforms, feature Noem standing in front of American flags, thanking Trump for his immigration policies. “Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border and putting America first,” Noem states in one of the ads. “President Trump has a clear message: if you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return.”
The campaign has drawn attention not only for its content but also for its origins. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 21, Noem recounted Trump’s direct involvement in shaping the ads, claiming Trump instructed her to run them globally.
“I want you to tell people not to come to this country if they’re going to come here illegally.” Noem said, adding that Trump specifically requested she appear in the ads rather than him. “I want you in the ads, and I want your face in the ads,” he told her. “But I want the first ad, I want you to thank me.”
DHS confirmed that the ads are running both domestically and internationally in multiple languages. According to ad-tracking firm AdImpact, most of the domestic airtime has been concentrated in cities such as Phoenix, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. The ads have also aired on Fox News, particularly in Washington and Philadelphia.
Despite targeting undocumented immigrants, spending on Spanish-language ads has been significantly lower than English-language placements—roughly $360,000 compared to over $2 million.
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