WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used emergency powers at the U.S. border to approve a $220 million ad campaign that bypassed competitive bidding rules. New records show that a firm tied closely to Noem and her senior aides benefited from the taxpayer-funded deal, raising major ethics concerns and calls for federal investigations.
The ad campaign launched in February, shortly after Noem took charge of the Department of Homeland Security. She said the campaign would counter misinformation from human smugglers and help slow illegal immigration. DHS declared a national emergency to speed up contracting and skip the usual vetting process.
On Oct. 2, during the federal government shutdown, Noem filmed one of the ads at Mount Rushmore. She appeared on horseback and warned migrants that crossing illegally would bring punishment. DHS has spent more than $200 million on the ads so far, tripling its media budget from the previous year.
The Strategy Group, a Republican consulting firm with deep ties to Noem, helped produce the Mount Rushmore ad. The firm does not appear in public contracting documents. Instead, DHS awarded the bulk of the money to Safe America Media, a little-known Delaware company formed days before the contract was finalized.
The Strategy Group has a long relationship with Noem. It ran major parts of her 2022 South Dakota reelection campaign. Its CEO, Ben Yoho, is married to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to Noem at DHS, has also worked closely with the firm. Despite these connections, DHS insists it had no role in selecting subcontractors.
McLaughlin said she recused herself from any DHS dealings involving her husband’s firm. She said she did not know how or why the Strategy Group became involved in the border project. Government contracting experts say the arrangement raises serious ethical concerns. They argue that bypassing the bidding process already poses risks. They say the hidden role of a firm tied to Noem’s allies makes those risks even greater.
“It’s corrupt,” said Charles Tiefer, a top federal contracting law expert and former member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting. He said the Strategy Group’s involvement should trigger investigations by the DHS inspector general and the House Oversight Committee. Federal rules require impartiality in contracting. Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, said the situation deserves a full review to determine whether the process followed the law.
Safe America Media, the primary contractor listed for the $143 million deal, gives little public information about its work. It lists its address as the home of Republican operative Michael McElwain. His own ad firm reported only five employees during the pandemic, raising questions about its ability to manage such a large federal contract. How Safe America Media distributed the money remains unclear. Subcontractors on federal projects are not always required to disclose their payments.
The controversy comes as Noem’s spending power within DHS grows rapidly. Congress recently gave DHS more than $150 billion under the Big Beautiful Bill. This summer, Noem ordered that she personally approve any payment over $100,000. DHS says it followed the rules and accused critics of attacking career staff. The agency said the campaign is working and called the current border “the most secure in American history.”
This is not the first time a Noem-led agency has hired the Strategy Group. In 2023, South Dakota paid the firm $8.5 million for a worker-recruitment ad campaign. Former state officials said Noem privately pushed for the firm to receive the contract, though state leaders denied improper influence. The firm also paid up to $25,000 to one of Noem’s top South Dakota advisers, who now holds a senior role at Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Mount Rushmore ad has aired during “Fox & Friends” in recent days. It mixes patriotic imagery with stern warnings aimed at migrants. It ends with Noem promising to find anyone who crosses the border illegally. As questions grow around the contracting process, experts say the next steps should include full transparency and independent review. Whether Congress or investigators step in remains to be seen.
