U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego slammed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem over a report that she redirected resources from a search-and-rescue operation to conduct deportations.
"A plane was actively looking for a missing Coast Guardsman in the ocean, but Kristi Noem re-directed the plane mid-flight to transport migrants instead. Putting our servicemembers at risk to hit Stephen Miller's quotas," Gallego said in a social media publication.
A plane was actively looking for a missing Coast Guardsman in the ocean, but Kristi Noem re-directed the plane mid-flight to transport migrants instead. Putting our servicemembers at risk to hit Stephen Miller's quotas. https://t.co/bDj7rTWZjF
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) February 17, 2026
The report in question claims that Noem's relations with U.S. Coast Guard officials have become strained over some of her early decisions, including the mentioned incident. Then, Noem reportedly issued a verbal order to shift resources from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member.
Tensions have escalated further in recent months as Noem oversaw a tenfold increase in the use of Coast Guard aircraft for immigrant deportations, straining already limited resources, sources told the outlet.
The new directives lowered the priority of search-and-rescue operations, long considered the Coast Guard's core mission, officials familiar with the orders said. They added that counternarcotics efforts and Coast Guard training are now prioritized above search-and-rescue missions.
In a December 2025 report by Human Rights First, the watchdog group found that removal flights conducted on U.S. military aircraft totaled 88 between January and September 2025, primarily using C-17 Air Force cargo planes to carry out Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation operations. The report noted that using military aircraft for removals is significantly more expensive than standard ICE Air charter operations, with costs reported at $28,500 per flight hour.
According to the report, tensions have at times escalated into verbal confrontations.In one such incident in May, Corey Lewandowski, Noem's top adviser, berated Coast Guard flight staff and threatened to fire them after a flight departed without one of the secretary's personal items, which was a heated blanket, on board, according to current and former Coast Guard officials.
"There is a general atmosphere of 'keep your head down, you don't want to be on the firing line,'" a former Coast Guard official told the outlet.
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DHS's Kristi Noem Further Strains Relationship With Coast Guard Over Use of Resources, Report Says
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Tags: Ruben Gallego, Kristi Noem, Dhs