Days after being fired, Kristi Noem spent $145.4 million on an empty warehouse in Utah. The former Homeland Security Secretary approved the purchase and paid significantly more than its assessed value.
Noem wanted to convert the warehouse into a large-scale immigration detention facility as part of the Trump administration’s deportation strategy. However, the DHS overpaid for the building by nearly 50 percent since it was valued at approximately $97 million in 2025.
According to the Daily Beast, Noem finalized the deal on March 11 which was six days after she was fired. She went ahead with the purchase, knowing that her time as the head of the department was at an end.
Noem left her role as the Department of Homeland Security chief on 31 March, and handed it over to Markwayne Mullin. He has already paused the conversion, and has also stopped similar projects which form part of a $38 billion spend that Noem had earmarked for ICE’s detention centers.
DHS is pausing the purchase of new warehouses intended to house immigrants as it scrutinizes all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a senior Homeland Security official. https://t.co/76KFth5QNi
— CBS News Texas (@CBSNewsTexas) April 1, 2026
He is reviewing the Noem-era spending before deciding how to move forward. Mullin wants to “re-evaluate the contract processes” and is determined that he is “serving the American taxpayer efficiently.”
The Utah warehouse purchase has raised eyebrows because of how much the DHS overspent on it. As it is, they had been overpaying by 11 to 13 percent for similar properties throughout the country.
Adding to the fact that the purchase was not included in a broader report, the 50 percent markup goes way beyond the normal range. Kristi Noem’s leadership and oversight skills are now being questioned.
Noem’s time at DHS was not smooth-sailing. Her right-hand man Corey Lewandowski introduced a policy where she had to personally approve all contracts above $100K.
This led to a three-day delay during the 2025 Texas floods where more than 100 people died. The policy was then scrapped as it significantly impacted how fast decisions could be made.
Noem was recently fired when her leadership came into question after she made a series of decisions that Congress hauled her in to answer for. One of the most controversial, was the DHS advertising campaign which costed tens of millions of dollars.
The Department of Homeland Security massively overpaid for an empty warehouse so it can fill it with thousands of people. https://t.co/siMpP5rsRz
New from @NickMiroff
— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) April 7, 2026
The campaign prominently featured Noem, and promoted the administration’s stance on immigration. However, the department received backlashed for the ad as it was called out as wasteful and promoted Noem unnecessarily.
Trump dismissed her as pressure mounted that she should be fired because of a number of issues including spending practices and the way ICE handled certain events this year. She was also in the spotlight because of her alleged affair with Lewandowski.
In the meantime, there is an internal review where Mullin is looking into the contracts and purchases that Noem approved during her term. Reportedly, they are assessing whether Noem spent the taxpayers’ money appropriately.
A Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed, “As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.” They framed it as par for the course and that it was normal practice to do this.
They continued, “As Secretary Mullin said in his confirmation hearing: ‘I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the president set out… We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners.’”
