Durbin and Raskin Seek DOJ Perjury Probe of Fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Over $220 Million Ad Campaign Testimony
Senators Dick Durbin and Jamie Raskin have asked the Justice Department to investigate former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for perjury, submitting a criminal referral alleging she made false sworn statements — notably that a $220 million DHS ad campaign went through a competitive bidding process and that President Trump knew about and approved it. The referral outlines four categories of alleged falsehoods (including Corey Lewandowski’s role and whether immigration enforcement detained U.S. citizens), cites a Reuters interview in which Trump contradicted Noem’s claim, flags GOP concerns that contracts may not have been competitively bid and involved firms tied to ex‑DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, and notes a DHS spokesperson called the perjury allegations “categorically FALSE.”
📌 Key Facts
- Senators Dick Durbin and Jamie Raskin have referred fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to the Justice Department seeking a perjury probe over her testimony about a $220 million DHS ad campaign.
- The Durbin–Raskin referral letter alleges Noem made potentially false statements in four areas: DHS compliance with court orders; Corey Lewandowski’s role in DHS contracts; whether immigration enforcement has detained U.S. citizens; and the contracting process for the $220 million ad campaign.
- Noem swornly stated the $220 million ad contract was awarded through a competitive bid process run by DHS career officials and that President Trump knew about and approved the campaign.
- The referral cites a Reuters interview in which Trump reportedly contradicted Noem’s claim that he approved the ad campaign, using that contradiction as potential evidence of a false statement.
- A DHS spokesperson issued an on‑record denial of the perjury allegations, calling claims that Noem committed perjury “categorically FALSE.”
- Sen. John Kennedy said his research suggested the ad contracts were not competitively bid and that the firm receiving most of the money had ties to former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and her husband, Benjamin Yoho.
📊 Relevant Data
Monthly detentions of Latinos without criminal records by ICE increased sixfold compared to the final year of the Biden administration in 2026.
New Analysis Reveals Sharp Rise in ICE Detention of Immigrants with No Criminal Convictions — UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Courts have ruled over 4,400 times since January 2025 that ICE has jailed immigrants illegally, often ignoring release orders.
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped. — Reuters
More than 170 U.S. citizens were detained by ICE in 2025, often at raids and protests, despite their citizenship status.
Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents Against Their Will This Year — ProPublica
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 shifted U.S. immigration from Europe to Latin America and Asia, leading to Hispanics and Asians dominating immigration flows, with new immigrants and their descendants accounting for 55% of U.S. population growth from 1965 to 2015.
Impact of immigration of U.S. population growth since 1965 — Working Immigrants
ICE detention facilities experienced significant overcrowding in 2025, leading to worsening medical care and substandard conditions, with a nearly 75% rise in detained individuals.
New Report Details ICE's Expanding and Increasingly Opaque Detention System — American Immigration Council
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Fox article reproduces language from the Durbin–Raskin referral letter specifying that Noem’s alleged false statements fall into four categories: DHS compliance with court orders, Corey Lewandowski’s role in DHS contracts, whether immigration enforcement has detained U.S. citizens, and the contracting process for a $220 million DHS ad campaign.
- It details Noem’s sworn statement that the $220 million ad contract went through a competitive bid process chosen by DHS career officials, and that President Trump knew about and approved the campaign.
- It notes that Trump contradicted Noem’s claim about his approval of the ad campaign in a Reuters interview, which the letter uses to underscore a potential false statement.
- The article quotes a DHS spokesperson flatly denying the perjury allegations, calling claims that Noem committed perjury “categorically FALSE,” providing the administration’s on‑record rebuttal.
- Sen. John Kennedy’s role is fleshed out with his comments that his research suggested the contracts were not bid out and that the firm receiving most of the money had ties to ex‑DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and her husband Benjamin Yoho.