The US Ministry of Homeland Protection skipped a fully competitive tender procedure to give two Republican companies the first part of $ 200 million television advertising that President Trump praises for illegal immigration.
DHS informed the news agencies last month that it had been subjected to a “competitive procurement process” for the campaign. In a document published in a federal database on Friday, the department said that Trump's explanation of a national emergency on the border between the USA and Mexico is “an unusual and convincing urgency”, a fact that enables federal authorities to avoid the usual competition process.
The ads show that the secretary of the home protection authority, Kristi Noem, in a blue suit with a background of American flags that thank Trump. The ads have attracted some attention when they mix pictures of Trumps in the style of Trump, sign leadership orders and fly with clips of large groups of migrants who cross the Rio Grande and police cars with sirens with sirens.
Noem warns immigrants of leaving the USA or not coming. “If you are illegal here, we will find them and deport them. You will never return, ”she says in one of the videos.
One of the winning companies is people who belongs to Think, LLC, who belongs to Jay Connaughton, a political advisor based in Louisiana who acted as a media consultant for Trump's campaign in 2016. Connaughton seemed to have worked with the former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in Jeff Landry's campaign for governors from Louisiana in October 2023. Lewandowski, a long -time Noem consultant who returns to her tenure as governor of South Dakota, mentioned him as part of the team in a post on X who helped to choose Landry.
The other company chosen for the contract was Safe America Media, LLC, which was entered in Delaware a few days before the request with a speech to a property that belongs to the Republican consultant Mike Mcelwain. Safe America Media has already received 16 million US dollars for advertising.
Connaughton and Mcelwain did not respond to news and calls to get a comment. In a statement that was made available to the Associated Press, it was still a “competitive process”.
“After a competitive process with several companies that delivers a common contract for this targeted national and international campaign for the best service, the best product and the best price for American taxpayers, the Safe America Media and the people who believe that it is of the opinion.” “Several career government officials monitored this competition process.”
The document published in a federal contract database is partially: “DHS requires an immediate domestic and international campaign to lead illegal foreigners in the USA and its territories to go immediately and to discourage illegal immigration into the country.”
DHS checked industry publications and providers who specialize in hyper-targeted media and advertising services and limited his search to four companies that were able to work immediately.
“Any delay in the provision of these critical communications for the public will increase the spread of misinformation,” says the document.
In the past month, Noem shared the history behind the advertising campaign at the conservative political action conference. She said she had proposed to carry out more news conferences to keep the public about her immigration measures up to date, but Trump asked about these notes, “to ensure that the American people know the truth about what they are doing.”
“But he said, 'I want the first ad, I want you to thank me. I want you to thank me for closing the border. 'I said, “Yes, Sir. I will thank you for closing the border. '”
Most of the previous money that has broadcast the advertisements was in English-language television channels with more than $ 2 million compared to the $ 360,000, which they spend in Spanish-language stations across the country, data from adimpact shows from ad tracking companies.
The data show that it was broadcast the most in television stations in Phoenix, Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Dallas. It was also followed on Fox News in larger markets, with most of the broadcasts in the areas of Washington and Philadelphia.
Licon writes for the Associated Press. The AP writer Byron Tau in Washington contributed to this report.