Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the U.S. Coast Guard to divert an aircraft from a search-and-rescue mission for a missing service member to assist with migrant deportation operations, according to a new report from multiple current and former officials.
NBC News reported that the tension began shortly after Noem started at the Department of Homeland Security on February 4, 2025. A 23-year-old Coast Guardsman assigned to the cutter Waesche went overboard in the Eastern Pacific, prompting an emergency search. The report noted that Noem’s direction to prioritize deportation flights over the search upset senior Coast Guard leaders. They believed this decision contradicted the service’s lifesaving mission.
The Coast Guard identified the missing sailor as Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, from Rancho Cordova, California. They stated that Waesche personnel reported him missing on February 4 while the cutter was conducting a counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacific, and the Coast Guard began searching by air and sea.
The Coast Guard later suspended the search, announcing the end of efforts on February 10, 2025, pending new information.
Details of the alleged diversion order and the internal conflict arose as reports indicated growing tension between Noem’s office and Coast Guard leadership. The Daily Beast, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that Noem ordered a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft to leave the active search for Lee and assist deportation operations. This decision led to pushback within the service and attempts to find alternative aircraft so that the C-130 could remain on the search.
The Daily Beast noted that a DHS spokesperson denied Noem issued such an order and claimed the reporting was part of an internal effort to undermine the secretary.
The Coast Guard operates under DHS and handles missions that include maritime safety, rescue, law enforcement, and border security. While Coast Guard crews regularly support migrant interdiction, the reported decision on February 4 highlighted the competition for limited aviation resources at a time when the service was searching for a missing sailor.
The reporting also indicated a change in the frequency with which Coast Guard aircraft supported immigration operations. The Daily Beast referenced ICE Flight Monitor data, showing an increase in Coast Guard flights related to deportation activities after Noem took office.
The situation unfolded as the Coast Guard performed one of its most visible roles: responding to emergencies at sea. In its public updates, the service outlined search patterns and explained the decision to suspend operations after crews searched a large area without locating Lee.
Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, took charge of DHS, overseeing agencies like Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Coast Guard.
The NBC News report suggested that the order for the aircraft and other early decisions established a difficult relationship with Coast Guard officials, who objected to what they viewed as operational choices driven by the administration’s deportation focus.
Polls have shown that most Americans want the DHS boss out following the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. However, she had a low approval rating before the killings as reports revealed most migrants arrested by ICE do not have a criminal record, and stories of citizens being harassed by ICE agents continued to make headlines.
