Flush with cash from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has spent millions of dollars on flashy custom SUVs and trucks the agency says are essential for public safety and recruitment efforts to meet President Donald Trump's mass deportation goals.
Government contracts made public and reviewed by The Washington Post reveal that ICE has contracted more than $2.4 million for Chevrolet Tahoes, Ford Expeditions, and other vehicles, as well as custom graphic wraps. The gold-detailed wraps will include the words "DEFEND THE HOMELAND," according to a social media post by the contractor, Maryland's AP Tinting & Graphics, along with the words "INTEGRITY," "COURAGE," and "ENDURANCE."
The document submitted to justify ICE's $2.25 million contract to purchase 25 Chevrolet Tahoes—made without an open bidding process—states that "unusual and compelling urgency" was needed to deploy the vehicles "to the streets immediately to provide a visible law enforcement presence, support public safety operations, and reinforce recruitment efforts." A "full and open competition," the document continues, "would result in unacceptable delays and seriously hinder the Government's recruiting initiative." The document asserts that the requirement for these vehicles is fully supported by the OBBBA—which appropriated nearly $30 billion to ICE for, in part, hiring, recruitment, and retention efforts—and an executive order signed by Trump on August 11 declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia.
