ICE Barbie’s Remaining DHS Loyalists Have a Major Problem

Politics admin June 3, 2026 0 Comments

ICE Barbie’s Remaining DHS Loyalists Have a Major Problem

A trio of senior officials who managed to hang on even after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired are facing blowback as the department’s watchdog probes her tenure.

President Donald Trump fired Noem, 54, in March following public outcry over her department’s violent immigration raids, which resulted in the killings of American citizens Nicole Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and concerns about financial mismanagement.

Her successor, Markwayne Mullin, invited many of Noem’s critics back into the fold and pushed her allies out the door as part of his effort to rehabilitate his embattled department’s image.

But three high-level officials survived the purge, only to potentially get caught up in official investigations into contracting practices at Noem’s DHS, Axios reported.

General Counsel James Percival, Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar, and undersecretary for management Rob Law all were associated with Noem’s controversial contracts and bidding processes, according to Axios.

The inspector general’s office has opened audits on $9 billion worth of agency business that was awarded through less-than-fully competitive bidding processes, as well as a $38 billion scheme to convert warehouses into massive jail centers.

Officials are now considering selling many of those assets.

Noem also came under fire for requiring that she personally sign off on every contract worth more than $100,000, leading to delays in agency work and disbursement of emergency funds.

A day before Noem was fired, Percival defended DHS’s ad campaign contracts in a Fox News article detailing claims that a subordinate’s husband’s company had made millions of dollars from the campaign.

Edgar defended Noem’s personal contract review system in an op-ed for the conservative Washington Times newspaper.

And Law served as a point person for a $915 million contract for DHS’s “self-deportation” initiative that was posted on a Friday, with bids due the following Monday, according to Axios.

A lawsuit filed by one of the losing bidders alleged that advance notice was given to a limited number of companies to bid for the work.

The winning vendor, Salus Worldwide Solutions, had not previously been a prime contractor for the federal government. The company went on to make the initial purchases for Noem’s eyebrow-raising luxury jets and seven other ICE deportation planes, Axios reported.

A DHS spokesperson told the outlet in a statement that the Noem holdovers were “all valuable members of Secretary Mullin’s team,” and all “play key roles in helping to make America safe again.”

The statement also emphasized that Mullin had rescinded the $100,000 contract review memo to “streamline the contract process and empower components to carry out their mission to protect the homeland and make America safe again.”

The Daily Beast has also reached out for comment.