Lopez: DHS has better ways to spend $200 million than this

"The ads have been popping up on Fox News, Good Morning America, the Today Show and Univision. They feature Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem against a backdrop bristling with American flags, galloping past Mount Rushmore on horseback, or dressed as an ICE agent. This is the $200 million ad campaign that has saturated television and social media for months, in which Noem issues stern warnings against crossing the US border illegally."

"Notably, the DHS campaign sidestepped the competitive bidding process required for most government contracts. To get around that mandate, Noem relied on what has become a favorite Trump administration tactic for fast-tracking solutions: the national emergency. President Donald Trump has deployed it for everything from energy and tariffs to drug enforcement and the border. The agency insisted the no-bid contract was needed because any delay in providing these critical communications to the public will increase the spread of misinformation, especially misinformation by smugglers."

"Yet initial ads just showed Noem thanking Trump for securing the border and putting America first. She also issued an overtly political message that blamed earlier weak politicians for actions that left our borders open and put American lives at risk. (That's unusual for taxpayer-funded public service campaigns.) I spoke with Richard Painter, former chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush, who now teaches corporate law at the University of Minnesota."

Homeland Security ran a $200 million television and social media ad campaign featuring Secretary Kristi Noem issuing stern warnings against illegal border crossings. The ads depict Noem against American flags, galloping past Mount Rushmore, or dressed as an ICE agent. The campaign sidestepped competitive bidding by invoking a national emergency to award a no-bid contract. The agency said delays would increase misinformation spread, especially from smugglers. Early spots thanked President Trump for securing the border and blamed earlier weak politicians for leaving borders open and risking American lives. Ethics lawyer Richard Painter rejected the emergency rationale and warned treating every problem as an emergency enables unchecked executive power.

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