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DHS watchdog investigating $38B ICE program backed by Kristi Noem, her lover Corey Lewandowski

Nypost · · 359 words · By Josh Christenson
immigration_policy Political Scandal Government accountability
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/us-news/dhs-watchdog-investigating-38b-ice-program…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“A federal watchdog is investigating a program that spent $38 billion under ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to convert vacant buildings into immigrant detention facilities”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that ICE/DHS plans to spend approximately $38 billion to convert warehouses into detention centers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was established along with the Department of Homeland Security itself in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act. Its website describes its mi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Homeland_Securit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Inspector_General_(U…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, comparable to interior ministries abroad. Its missions involve anti-te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ho…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) has announced the probe “[t]o determine to what extent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] purchased and converted facilities for detention space that meets its operational need in a cost-effective manner.””
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the DHS OIG exists and conducts audits of ICE facilities, the provided evidence does not contain the specific quote or announcement regarding a probe into the cost-effectiveness of the warehouse conversion program.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, comparable to interior ministries abroad. Its missions involve anti-te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ho…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The federal government of the United States empowers a wide range of federal law enforcement agencies (informally known as the "Feds") to maintain law and public order related to matters affecting the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_law_enforcement_in_the…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investig…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_agent
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“ICE’s acquisition drive — which was also championed by Noem’s top adviser Corey Lewandowski — has spent just $1 billion so far in taxpayer funds to purchase 11 empty warehouses”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence mentions Corey Lewandowski's political role and general ICE spending, but does not specifically corroborate the $1 billion spend on 11 warehouses championed by him.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Corey is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a masculine version of name Cora, which has Greek origins and is the maiden name of the goddess Persephone. The name also can have origins from th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Corey R. Lewandowski (; born September 18, 1973) is an American political operative, lobbyist, and pundit politically aligned with Donald Trump. He served as the first campaign manager for Trump's 201…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Lewandowski
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gregory Kent Bovino (born March 27, 1970) is a United States Border Patrol officer who served as the commander-at-large of the Border Patrol from October 2025 to January 2026. Bovino graduated from We…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Bovino
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“In total, up to $45 billion was appropriated “for single adult alien detention capacity and family residential center capacity” in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by the President this past July.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly confirms the existence of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' (P.L. 119-21) passed by the 119th Congress as part of President Trump's second-term agenda.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 119th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Represent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/119th_United_States_Congress
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — No tax on tips is an American proposal to not tax income earned from tips. During the 2024 United States presidential election, both main candidates supported legislation to remove federal taxes from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_tax_on_tips
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) or the Big Beautiful Bill (P.L. 119-21), is a U.S. federal statute passed by the 119th United States Congress containing tax and spending policies that form the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Big_Beautiful_Bill_Act
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“ICE bought the warehouses from sellers like Goldman Sachs and the Carlyle Group, as opposed to leasing facilities from private prison companies”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that ICE purchased warehouses from sellers including Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group to create a national network of detention centers.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. It was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions firm by Peter Peterson and Stephen Schwarzman, who…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone_Inc.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russell 1000 Index is a U.S. stock market index that tracks the largest 1,000 stocks in the Russell 3000 Index, which represent about 93% of the total market capitalization of that index. The inde…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_1000_Index
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bountiful Company is an American dietary supplements company. It is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which sold most of the company's brands to Nestlé in 2021. It was originally known as Nature's…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bountiful_Company
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“In a March report, CoStar alleged that DHS paid premiums of between 11% and 13% over the market price for similar properties.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results confirm CoStar is a commercial property reporting firm, but no specific report alleging 11-13% premiums paid by DHS was found in the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — Powered by extensive market research, encompassing 7.3M+ commercial property records and 20M+ lease and sale transactions, CoStar's reporting and analytics tools draw on data that's unparalleled in it…
https://www.costar.com/products/custom-reporting
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department for Homeland Security.
https://www.dhs.gov/archive/law-enforcement-mission-support
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web search NEUTRAL — The department also shared arrested migrants as trading cards listing their alleged crimes.The DHS also uploaded mugshots of individuals on cards resembling Pokémon trading cards for reported crimes s…
https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/homeland-sec…
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“Some companies that received federal contracts related to the building purchases had never previously worked on immigration matters”
CORROBORATED
Web search results mention that certain companies (e.g., KVG) awarded contracts had never previously worked as immigration contractors.
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web search NEUTRAL — ERO is responsible for enforcing the federal government's immigration laws and ensuring the departure of removable immigrants from the United States. ERO uses its detention and deportation officers to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_…
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web search NEUTRAL — The White House is looking to sell the Nancy Pelosi Federal Building on 7th Street and the century-old building at 50 United Nations Plaza. The Trump administration says it will save money by avoiding…
https://abc7news.com/post/pres-donald-trump-looking-sell-nan…
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web search NEUTRAL — The contract, now posted on the federal government’s public database, is valued at $28,300. It began on Jan. 5 and runs until the end of the year. Elections Canada confirmed the contract is active, bu…
https://globalnews.ca/news/10707439/boissonnault-federal-con…
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“Noem’s replacement as DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, paused spending on the warehouse-to-detention facilities program shortly after assuming the cabinet post in late March.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence does not mention Markwayne Mullin as the DHS Secretary or his action of pausing spending on the warehouse program in March.
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web search NEUTRAL — Creation of DHS constitutes the most diverse merger ever of federal functions and responsibilities, incorporating 22 government agencies into a single organization. [9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ho…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works to improve the security of the United States. The Department's work includes customs, border, and immigration enforcement, emergency response to natural…
https://www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-department-of-homeland-secu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 20, 2017 · This page lists a directory of DHS public-facing websites/digital services, excluding redirect and internal use only sites.
https://www.dhs.gov/websites
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“The IG probe follows a similar inquiry into Noem and Lewandowski’s approval of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts in fiscal year 2025 — including several no-bid pacts.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results to support the claim of an IG probe into no-bid contracts for fiscal year 2025.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.