Kristi Noem's Deputy 'Wasted' Millions on Vehicles with ICE Logo That Agents Refuse to Use: Report

Last edited Mon Mar 9, 2026, 07:22 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: MEDIAite

Mar 9th, 2026, 5:42 pm


The former deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent millions of taxpayer dollars acquiring new vehicles emblazoned with the ICE logo that agents refuse to use, according to a report by the Washington Examiner.

President Donald Trump announced last week that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was “moving” to a new position and he was nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to take her place. Noem was ousted after growing backlash to the administration’s immigration crackdown sparked nationwide protests and multiple court challenges, especially after two fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Prior to exiting her position, Noem was subjected to a bipartisan evisceration in Senate and House Committee hearings, as members from both sides of the aisle lambasted her over the Good and Pretti shootings, ICE’s enforcement tactics, her alleged relationship with top adviser Corey Lewandowski, delays in disbursing FEMA aid to hurricane-ravaged areas of North Carolina, accusations about conflicts of interests for lucrative contracts her agency gave to McLaughlin’s husband and other allies, and even the admission from her memoir about shooting her dog, Cricket.

Madison Sheahan, a 29-year-old who was Noem’s political director when she was governor of South Dakota and then the executive director for the South Dakota Republican Party, was hired by Noem as ICE’s deputy director in March 2025. She resigned in January to announce she was running for a congressional seat in her home state of Ohio. According to the report by the Examiner’s Anna Giaritelli, three sources described millions of taxpayer dollars being “wasted” on acquiring “thousands” of vehicles for ICE that are viewed by the agents as unusable.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/kristi-noems-deputy-wasted-millions-on-vehicles-with-ice-logo-that-agents-refuse-to-use-report/