As the White House cancels billions earmarked for medical research, renewable energy and public education, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is laying out $1.2 million more in taxpayer funds to accessorize another batch of newly purchased trucks.
In a justification-and-approval document dated September 9 and seen by The Independent, the deportation agency justifies awarding the no-bid contract by citing an “urgent and compelling” need to wrap 18 Chevy Tahoe SUVs, one Ford Raptor pickup and a GMC Yukon – all of them 2025 models – in a red, blue and gold graphics package that mimics the look of President Donald Trump’s private 757.
“The immediate upfitting and wrapping of these vehicles is critical to operational readiness, officer safety, and ICE’s ability to field new personnel,” according to the document, known as a “J&A.” “Without properly marked and equipped vehicles[,] newly hired staff cannot be deployed to the field, delaying the enforcement surge required to meet statutory and operational demands. Such delays create an operational gap that diminishes enforcement, undermines recruitment objectives, and places both public and officer safety at risk.”
A Sunnyvale, California company, Castle Hill Partners Inc., will be paid $1,158,404 for the job, or roughly $50,000 per vehicle, according to the J&A. The address listed for Castle Hill is a 5-bedroom, 4-bath spread in a residential neighborhood. A person who answered the phone there on Wednesday told The Independent that Castle Hill does perform vehicle wrapping but declined to comment any further.
If the modifications are not completed within the next 30 days, ICE will be unable to put enough agents on the streets, “directly impairing mission success,” the J&A states, noting that the expenditure is “fully supported” by the GOP’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as well as Trump’s August 11 executive order, “Restoring Law and Order in the District of Columbia.”
A J&A is used to obtain permission to move forward with an official purchase without issuing a competitive request for proposals. Tuesday’s ICE J&A says the trucks “will be utilized [by]... newly recruited individuals in the positions of Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Officers, and Enforcement and Removal (ERO) Deportation Officers… as well as Criminal Investigator, and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Investigators.”
The expanding fleet will permit ICE to meet the “anticipated surge in staffing and enforcement requirements projected from 2026 through 2029,” according to the J&A.
Putting the contract out for bids “would result in unacceptable delays” and hinder ongoing recruiting efforts, the J&A contends. ICE is in the midst of an all-out hiring spree in an attempt to attract some 14,000 new agents to carry out Trump’s mass deportation agenda. The effort has so far seen the feds lower the age and educational requirements for candidates, while offering six-figure salaries, signing bonuses up to $50,000 and perks that include student loan forgiveness.
Congressional Republicans have earmarked $30 billion for ICE’s recruitment drive; the agency’s budget of $170 billion over the next 10 years exceeds that of most of the world’s militaries.
ICE recently dropped roughly $1 million for customized SUVs and pickups, as well as a pair of Ford Mustangs to help tempt new recruits. The trucks cost more than $500,000; wrapping them ran about $230,000. The two Mustangs ran more than $120,000, and ICE recently issued a tender for 25 wrapped and upfitted Chevy Tahoes, at a cost of $2.4 million.
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ICE also solicited bids for 1,000 new Ford Police Interceptor Utility SUVs, Dodge Durango Pursuit SUVs and Chevy Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle SUVs; with modifications, including extras like “tactical seat covers” in addition to the usual vehicle wraps, could cost as much as $100 million.
The vehicles all feature a graphic treatment that plays off the livery seen on Trump’s personal jet, have the words “Defend the homeland” emblazoned on the sides and “President Donald J. Trump” spelled out in gold on the rear windows.
The first ICE SUVs to be wrapped in the Trump-centric design were featured in a video posted by the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, which showed the vehicles cruising through Washington, D.C., set to music by rapper DaBaby.
An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond on Wednesday to The Independent’s request for comment.
However, in response to a $1 million expenditure last month on vehicle wraps, an ICE official said that it is a law enforcement agency, and that all law enforcement agencies require properly marked and branded vehicles.
At the same time, many have criticized the initiative, suggesting the hastily considered motif might have benefited from a bit more thought.
“The ICE design screams ‘Look at us – we're big, we're mean, and we're here whether you like it or not,’” Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, previously told The Independent. “That's a message that it sends both to local residents and also to local elected officials.”
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