(Todd Epp for the South Dakota Broadcasters Association) — The Department of Homeland Security bypassed normal competitive bidding to fast-track a $200 million immigration advertising campaign within weeks of the new administration taking office, federal procurement records show.
Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that President Donald Trump personally directed both the messaging and execution of the “Stronger Borders, Stronger America Campaign.” DHS awarded the contract to Safe America Media LLC on February 19, 2025, through an expedited process citing “urgency.”
Federal documents show an initial contract value of $62.8 million with a potential total award of $200 million depending on options and modifications.
“President Trump talked to me several times during the transition,” Noem said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. “He said, ‘I want you to do those for the border, and I want them around the world.'”
The campaign features Noem in two versions — domestic and international — with increasingly stern language.
“If you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” Noem states in the domestic version of the advertisement. “But understand this: Under President Trump, America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”
The international advertisement uses stronger rhetoric: “If you come to our country, and you break our laws, we will hunt you down.”
Government spending data reveals DHS has already obligated $16 million toward the campaign. The department has not disclosed a breakdown of media buys, production expenses, and administrative overhead.
Trump specifically requested that Noem thank him in the advertisements, according to her CPAC remarks.
“He said, ‘I want you to thank me for closing the border,'” Noem recounted.
Federal records link Safe America Media to People Who Think LLC, a Louisiana-based firm with divisions including Innovative Politics, specializing in political messaging. OpenSecrets data shows People Who Think received over $5.3 million from Americans for Prosperity Action during the 2024 election cycle.
“Those ads have been very successful already,” Noem told Newsmax’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren” on Feb. 24. “We just broke a 15-year record in the lowest number of encounters at the southern border.”
DHS data shows border encounters in January 2025 were 128,915, 16% lower than the 153,741 recorded in January 2024. Multiple factors could contribute to this decline beyond the advertising campaign.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Blog characterized the initiative as “taxpayer-funded propaganda,” suggesting it serves more as political messaging than government information.
The DHS news release states the ads will run in multiple languages, including Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese, using “hyper-targeted” delivery methods that may include geo-fencing and demographic targeting.
The South Dakota Broadcasters Association recently spotted the domestic ad on Paramount on Fubo-TV. DHS has not released a complete list of media placements for the campaign.
Some legal experts have questioned the legality of the ads regarding potential First Amendment issues if they primarily promote a political figure. SDBA is not aware of any pending litigation on that or any other issues regarding the spots.
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