The Department of Homeland Security

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Exclusive: DHS hires first AI Corps members

By Sam Sabin

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

The Department of Homeland Security has made its first 10 hires for its new AI Corps, according to a release exclusively shared with Axios. Why it matters: U.S. officials have said that they need more expertise to help determine the best ways to safely leverage artificial intelligence tools within the federal government. The new 50-person AI Corps, modeled after the U.S. Digital Service, will study ways to tap AI across DHS's portfolio, including countering fentanyl trafficking, combating online child sexual exploitation, and enhancing cybersecurity. What they're saying: "The interest in it has been phenomenal," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Axios yesterday. Joining DHS's AI Corps, according to a press release shared with Axios, are: Sadaf Asrar, a former AI tech expert for the National Center for Education Statistics. Zach Fasnacht, previously a senior product manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Pramod Gadde, a founder of several health care-related startups, including AI startup Confidante. Sean Harvey, former lead of YouTube's trust and safety team, focused on global elections and misinformation. Jenny Kim, a principal product manager at McKinsey & Co. and an alumna of the DHS Digital Service. The full list

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US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first ‘large’ flight in 5 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it sent 116 Chinese migrants from the United States back home in the first “large charter flight” in five years.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-deportations-china-homeland-security-c904d72d86f6a392aa7f2ec2c5600c07?

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How lessons learned from the 2016 campaign led US officials to be more open about Iran hack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The 2016 presidential campaign was entering its final months and seemingly all of Washington was abuzz with talk about how Russian hackers had penetrated the email accounts of Democrats, triggering the release of internal communications that seemed designed to boost Donald Trump’s campaign and hurt Hillary Clinton’s.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-trump-harris-election-russia-hack-ad5886379e67710e79d83938e52360cc?

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Homeland Security Still Dreams of Face Recognition at the Border

The Department of Homeland Security is soliciting help from the U.S. private sector to run face recognition scans against drivers and passengers approaching the southern border, according to an agency document reviewed by The Intercept.

https://theintercept.com/2024/08/27/face-recognition-border-surveillance-dhs/?

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Homeland Security shares new details of mysterious drone flights over New Jersey

The large mysterious drones reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security.

https://apnews.com/article/fbi-drones-new-jersey-a978470fa3bb07ed3e98c5b7c18f0abb?

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Immigration

The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that certain undocumented migrants will face criminal penalties if they do not register themselves in a new federal database. The registry appears to target people who are not already on the government's radar. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that 118 people were arrested Tuesday in a mainly Latino area near Houston during a multi-agency enforcement operation. This occurred on the heels of another well-publicized enforcement action that happened in Los Angeles this past weekend.

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Homeland Security ends TSA collective bargaining agreement, in effort to dismantle union protections

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it is ending the collective bargaining agreement with the tens of thousands of frontline employees at the Transportation Security Administration, marking a major effort to dismantle union protections under the Trump administration.

https://apnews.com/article/collective-bargaining-agreement-tsa-homeland-security-e3eb1d5e0ae8e1b4a6fdb87cd7f6bd39?

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Homeland Security revokes temporary status for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

MIAMI (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-humanitarian-parole-china-haiti-nicaragua-venezuela-c10f422939934cf8d1cf8a6f4dfc4610?

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Tufts international student Rumeysa Ozturk detained by feds

Federal agents took Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral candidate at Tufts University, into custody Tuesday night.

https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/03/26/tufts-rumeysa-ozturk-detained?

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Homeland Security Secretary Noem visits the El Salvador prison where deported Venezuelans are held

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday visited the high-security El Salvador prison where Venezuelans who the Trump administration alleges are gang members have been held since their removal from the United States. Read More.

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DHS threatens to revoke Harvard’s eligibility to host foreign students amid broader battle over universities’ autonomy

The Trump administration has significantly dialed up its pressure on Harvard University, not only freezing $2 billion in federal funding but now threatening its eligibility to host international students after school leaders refused to make key policy changes the White House also is demanding of other elite US colleges.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/us/harvard-kristi-noem-international-students/index.html?

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Universities Told Students to Leave the Country. ICE Just Said They Didn’t Actually Have To.

The Department of Homeland Security said this week in a Michigan court that the agency does not have the authority to terminate students’ immigration statuses by terminating their records in the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System. Known as SEVIS, the database allows both universities and authorities to track information about international students on visas in the U.S.

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/17/international-student-visas-deport-dhs-ice/?

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Noem theft

A man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a high-end Gucci purse belonging to Kristi Noem. The Department of Homeland Security secretary was eating dinner with her family at a Washington, DC, restaurant on Easter when the suspect allegedly sat at the table next to hers and took the bag. Inside was a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, Noem’s driver’s license, medication, apartment keys, passport, her DHS access badge, a makeup bag, blank checks and about $3,000 in cash. The Secret Service also arrested a second person in Miami who was described as a co-conspirator. “We have also determined that this incident had no protective nexus to Secretary Noem or her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. The investigation revealed alleged criminal activity, including potential device and credit card fraud,” Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool said.

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Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps

Travelers who aren’t REAL ID compliant by the upcoming deadline this week will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny, the head of Homeland Security said Tuesday. Read More.

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?? Scoop: DHS snubs Argentina

The Department of Homeland Security blindsided Argentina last week by unexpectedly pausing a visa-waiver agreement as officials from Buenos Aires were already en route to Washington to sign the deal, Axios' Marc Caputo writes.

• Why it matters: The diplomatic snub was the result of a lack of communication and organization by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell Axios.

In July, Noem signed a statement of intent with Argentinian officials for the visa-waiver agreement. But Noem didn't first tell Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

• Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles then penned a memo reminding all officials that they needed prior authorization to execute such agreements.

? Zoom in: The U.S. has grown closer to Argentina under that nation's new president, Javier Milei.

• Noem praised Milei in a press release in which she pledged to try to readmit his country's citizens to the Visa Waiver Program, which allows foreigners to visit the U.S. for 90 days without a visa.
• But Rubio's State Department has had concerns about a corruption scandal that's nagging at Milei's administration, and wanted to have more discussions with Argentina about that before striking a deal.

? The intrigue: No one from the U.S. government appears to have communicated those concerns to Argentina before a delegation left Buenos Aires for what it thought would be a signing ceremony.

• Keep reading.

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Live updates: DHS says 475 people were detained during an immigration raid in Georgia

Some 475 people were detained during an immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles, according to a Homeland Security official. Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, said at a news briefing Friday that the majority of the people detained were from South Korea. “This operation underscores our commitment to jobs for Georgians and Americans,” Schrank said. Read more. ps:I guess they feel so proud of themselves!!

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Chicago Immigration Arrests

The Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday that it has ramped up immigration raids in Chicago. The crackdown, called Operation Midway Blitz, comes amid a Supreme Court ruling allowing a similar operation in Los Angeles.   The court ruled 6-3 yesterday to overturn a federal judge’s order blocking the LA raids. The judge had accused the government of violating Fourth Amendment protections requiring reasonable suspicion in order to make arrests—and barred authorities from using race and ethnicity, among other factors, to conduct arrests. While yesterday's ruling was unsigned, Justice Brett Kavanaugh penned a concurring opinion that demographics supported the crackdown, saying roughly 10% of Los Angeles’ population (2 million) is in the country illegally.    Immigration efforts in Chicago come as President Donald Trump has promised to defy Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and deploy the National Guard to combat the city's homicide rate. See an analysis of US murder rates here.

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Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

For months, the complaints have rolled in from parts of the country hit by natural disasters: The Federal Emergency Management Agency was moving far too slowly in sending aid to communities ravaged by floods and hurricanes, including in central Texas and North Carolina. Many officials were blaming Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, whose agency oversees FEMA.

https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-fema-florida-naples-sinan-gursoy?

ps: But as usual only money talks with this administration!!!!!

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DHS leans into propaganda with militaristic action videos

When helicopters descended on a Chicago apartment building last week with federal agents kitted out in military gear, locals saw a terrifying escalation in the federal government’s incursion into Chicago.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/politics/ice-videos-dhs-noem-immigration-arrests-analysis?

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ICE Barbie’s Boyfriend Fires Rivals in MAGA Night of Long Knives

Noem’s enforcer compiles hit list as Border Patrol brass move in and arrests targets surge.

Kristi Noem’s enforcer and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski is driving a purge inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement—tightening the DHS chief’s grip to accelerate a nationwide deportation blitz.

Five ICE field bosses were yanked from Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Philadelphia on Friday and sent to headquarters after complaints about lagging removal numbers.

Inside the Department of Homeland Security, Lewandowski—whose relationship with Noem has been described as D.C.’s “worst-kept secret”—has helped compile a broader list of at least a dozen field leaders to be moved or replaced, with senior Border Patrol officials stepping into ICE posts, according to Fox News Digital.

The outlet detailed an unprecedented power shift that sources called “tense” and “combative,” and has pitched two factions against each other.

Border czar Tom Homan, 64, and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons argue for targeted arrests of those with criminal convictions and final orders to leave.

On the other hand, Noem, 53, Lewandowski and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino want high-visibility sweeps to increase daily counts as they try to hit a ‘3,000-a-day’ deportations benchmark set by Donald Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller.

Lewandowski is widely described as Noem’s “gatekeeper,” operating as a special government employee who travels with her, weighs in on personnel, and shapes enforcement tempo.

A long-form report in New York magazine detailed how the pair runs DHS’s hard-edged agenda—and how this has caused internal angst over his informal authority.

Fox reported that the Border Patrol influx marks an “unprecedented” power shift inside DHS, aligning ICE’s field tempo with Bovino’s hard-charging “blitz” model, which would be a shift in the government’s pledge to remove “the worst of the worst” in favour of pure numbers.

Bovino, 55, has become the template for Noem’s camp, leading immigration crackdowns from Los Angeles to Chicago’s “Midway Blitz.”

His hard-edged tactics are under a judge’s microscope in Chicago, where plaintiffs say he defied limits on tear gas use and he’s been ordered to appear in court.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, described it on X as a “HUGE moment”, adding: “ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Greg Bovino’s ‘Midway Blitz’ style.”

Fueling the intrigue around the divide are years of rumors that Noem and Lewandowski are romantically involved—claims both have repeatedly denied.

In 2021, Noem called the affair allegation a “disgusting lie,” and soon after cut ties with the former Trump campaign director amid separate sexual misconduct accusations from a GOP donor. But he re-entered Trump’s orbit and, this year, DHS as a special government employee.

DHS officials told Fox the atmosphere is “tense” and “combative,” warning the broader blitz risks alienating the public and blurring lines between ICE and Border Patrol.

But White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson denied that there was any split. “The President’s entire team – including Border Czar Tom Homan and Secretary Noem – are all in lockstep,” she told the Daily Beast. “They are implementing the President’s policy agenda, and the tremendous results securing the border and deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves.”

The Daily Beast has also contacted DHS for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-barbie-kristi-noems-boyfriend-corey-lewandowski-purges-ice-goons-in-maga-civil-war/?

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Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts

On Oct. 2, the second day of the government shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived at Mount Rushmore to shoot a television ad. Sitting on horseback in chaps and a cowboy hat, Noem addressed the camera with a stern message for immigrants: “Break our laws, we’ll punish you.” 

https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group?

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Temporary protections for 330,000 Haitian immigrants slated to end, Noem announces

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday the end of temporary protected status for roughly 330,000 nationals from Haiti by February, opening them up to deportations.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/11/27/repub/temporary-protections-for-330000-haitian-immigrants-slated-to-end-noem-announces/?

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ICE Barbie’s Hiring Blitz Descends Into ‘Disaster’ With Shockingly Bad Recruits

The desperate rush to boost numbers has led to violent, barely literate, and unfit rookies becoming federal agents.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s race to add 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has become a “circus” as sloppy vetting and massive bonuses have attracted a raft of bottom-of-the-barrel recruits—and even some suspected of having gang ties.

Noem, 54—dubbed “ICE Barbie” for staging glam raid photo-ops—boasted this week that her department will hit 10,000 new recruits within days.

But a Daily Mail investigation says the frantic push has produced recruits who have gone on to allegedly attack civilians and sexually assault female trainees, and others who can barely read or write. One case reportedly included a 469-pound man whose own doctor had already declared him unfit for physical activity.

“Anything that they think may have a pulse, they’re moving through,” one unnamed DHS official was quoted saying.

Vetting has allegedly been so rushed that, the Mail reports, recruits were flown to the training base in Glynco, Georgia, before drug-test results came back—only for some to test positive after they were already in training. One trainee reportedly asked to leave class to attend a court date on a gun charge. Others were found to have tattoos linked to gangs and white supremacist groups when they stripped down for workouts.

The DHS official told the Mail that, while there were some “fantastic” recruits, the department had been “bringing people in who shouldn’t be hired at all into any federal government job, definitely not one that has a badge and a gun.”

The official added, “We’re now employing people who are not equipped to tie their own shoelaces. This whole thing is a complete disaster from beginning to end.”

One young recruit—a college graduate hoping to follow his father, a deportation officer, into the job—told relatives the whole operation felt like a “circus.”

The Mail investigation comes after the Daily Beast reported last month that insiders felt the recruitment drive had become a full-blown “s--tshow,” with Noem’s job at risk as a result.

The Mail report says the “disaster” has come about because ICE slashed standards to meet President Donald Trump’s 10,000 target, dangling signing and retention bonuses of up to $50,000 that DHS touts on its recruitment site and job postings. Applicants no longer need a college degree and can now be as young as 18, while the Trump administration scrapped the upper age limit entirely in August.

According to internal figures cited by the outlet, hundreds of brand-new hires with no law-enforcement background have been rushed into the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, Georgia, alongside older rehires pushed into desk jobs.

Instructors at the Georgia academy were left “astounded” as some trainees who “can barely read or write English” bombed open-book exams and struggled to complete basic physical training. One incredulous DHS source told the Beast: “A 469-pound recruit? Are they gonna roll him down a hill?”

Internal records show 584 recruits have already washed out of the academy since July, according to the report, with fewer than 558 graduating and around 620 still in the pipeline as of Dec. 1.

By the Mail’s account, that is despite some courses being shortened to as little as six weeks—down from the 16 weeks that were once standard—while ICE slashed a five-week Spanish module in favor of translation gadgets.

Discipline problems have followed. The Mail describes one 29-year-old recruit being arrested off-site after allegedly exploding at a FLETC bus driver and smashing his phone. Another man was accused of barging into a women’s dorm after a night at the bar, while a second allegedly groped a female trainee during defensive-tactics class.

The Beast also previously revealed that waves of re-hired agents arrived at ICE offices before badges, guns, or computer access were even ready, with some highly paid veteran returnees doing little more than paperwork in return for more than $250,000-a-year once bonuses and pensions are included.

The Mail’s revelations are likely to pile fresh pressure on Noem. CNN reported last month that Noem and her influential adviser and rumored lover, Corey Lewandowski, 52, are seen as “increasingly vulnerable” inside the West Wing—leaving senior DHS officials whispering to the Beast that they may be “not long for this world.”

DHS insists it is maintaining rigorous standards while answering Trump’s call for 3,000 deportations a day, pointing to more than 200,000 applications and arguing that technology and field mentoring will plug any training gaps.

The department declined to comment on the Mail investigation. The Daily Beast has also attempted to contact DHS for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-barbies-hiring-blitz-descends-into-disaster-with-shockingly-bad-recruits/?

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• ✈️ DHS is buying six Boeing 737s for deportation flights in a nearly $140 million deal, The Washington Post reports. The move could reduce the agency's reliance on charter flights run by airlines like GlobalX and Avelo. Gift link.

? Inside Homeland Security's bitter feud

Photo illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

The acrimony is so deep between President Trump's border czar and his homeland security secretary that the two officials barely speak to or meet with each other, insiders tell Axios' Brittany Gibson and Marc Caputo. Why it matters: Tensions reached such a fever pitch last week that the White House was swamped with rumors and news stories claiming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had lost Trump's favor and was on her way out. Noem's backers blamed the whisper campaign on supporters of her administration rival, border czar Tom Homan. Homan's partisans deny any involvement. ?️ The big picture: Neither Noem nor Homan will be booted, according to administration officials inside and outside the White House. Trump has shown no signs of wanting a change. "Kristi's doing a great job," Trump, unprompted, recently told an adviser who relayed the conversation to Axios. "Her and Tom don't get along," the president chuckled, the source said. "But they're doing great." The adviser said Trump doesn't mind the conflict: "Trump is like that. He kind of likes people competing against each other. He thinks it makes the product better." ? Noem, a former South Dakota governor, has spent millions of department dollars on a controversial campaign-style ad blitz that some insiders believe promotes her as much as the department's mission. Homan's appearances on Fox News have led Noem's supporters to cast him as a self-promoter without portfolio.

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? Hidden hand at DHS: Corey Lewandowski

The most powerful man in the Department of Homeland Security, Corey Lewandowski, is poised to remain in his influential post in 2026 — despite a temporary title, Axios' Marc Caputo, Brittany Gibson and Alex Isenstadt write.

• Why it matters: Officially listed as a temporary government employee, Lewandowski exerts singular influence in day-to-day operations at DHS — from billions of dollars in contracts to its unpopular immigration-enforcement tactics that have become a drag on the Trump administration.

Lewandowski operates as the de facto chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He was her political adviser when she was South Dakota's governor.

• "Kristi is the face of DHS. Corey is the brains. He gets things done," one senior administration official told Axios.

? Lewandowski's continued involvement in DHS became clear last week, when an Axios reporter saw him standing at a gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, speaking loudly into his phone as he appeared to discuss DHS vendors' contracts.

• Lewandowski was also overheard discussing a drone program.

"Mr. Lewandowski was traveling home, on his own dime, to be with his family," a DHS spokesperson said in a written statement. "He does not receive a salary or any federal government benefits. He volunteers his time to serve the American people."

• Lewandowski is "an adviser," the spokesperson said, adding that Noem, "like all previous secretaries, has various senior advisers."

? Reality check: Lewandowski's work as a special government employee (SGE) is without precedent, according to ethics specialists — beyond the controversial appointments of Elon Musk and Anita Dunn.

• SGEs are supposed to operate as temporary workers and specialists who help out the government on a part-time basis, often for a specific project. They're limited to 130 days of government employment yearly.
• That usually means an SGE stays for a little over four months, then leaves. Thanks to creative timekeeping, Lewandowski has been able to stay well beyond.