Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has denied claims that its agents are refusing to drive new fleet vehicles featuring paint jobs inspired by Donald Trump’s private jet. The vehicles, which include Ford Raptor pickups and GMC Yukon SUVs, cost over $2 million and were purchased through no-bid contracts.
According to The Washington Examiner, agents have reportedly been hiding the vehicles in parking garages because they do not want to drive marked cars. “We’re just hiding them in a parking garage somewhere because we don’t want to drive them,” one source said. Another described the marked cars as “ridiculous” for law enforcement operations.
Roughly 25 newly delivered vehicles are sitting unused at an immigration detention facility in California, the Examiner reported. However, an ICE spokesperson told The Independent that “any allegation that these ICE vehicles are not being used is FALSE,” adding that the vehicles are “supplementing the existing ICE fleet and support operations across the country.”
Government contracts for the fleet stated that the paint jobs and branding were essential for agents to perform their duties, warning that delays would “diminish enforcement” and “place both public and officer safety at risk.” The purchases were reportedly directed by former ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan, who has since left the agency to run for Congress.
Walter Olsen of the Cato Institute criticised the design as performative and counterproductive, saying it sends a message of intimidation. The vehicles include navy blue paint with red-and-white racing stripes, a gold seal, and the words “defend the homeland” along with “President Donald J. Trump” on the rear window.
