Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing sharp scrutiny after a new report revealed mounting tension between her office and the U.S. Coast Guard — including a controversial decision during a desperate search for a missing 23-year-old service member.
According to NBC News, Noem’s aggressive push to use Coast Guard aircraft to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has placed “stress” on the service, the only military branch under the Department of Homeland Security. Officials told NBC News that deportation flights have increasingly taken priority — even over core missions like search and rescue.
The breaking point reportedly came last February.
A 23-year-old Coast Guardsman went overboard into the Pacific Ocean shortly after Noem assumed her post. A large-scale search was launched, including deployment of a C-130 aircraft to comb the waters.
Hours into that search, Noem allegedly intervened.
According to the report, she pushed to have the C-130 pulled from the rescue mission and redirected to resume transporting detained migrants from California to Texas. Alternative aircraft were later scrambled, but officials told NBC that the decision left a “negative impression” inside the service’s leadership.
The missing guardsman was never found.
The episode has intensified friction between Noem’s office and Coast Guard leadership. Sources described a relationship strained by what they view as mounting pressure to prioritize immigration enforcement over traditional maritime and life-saving responsibilities.
The Coast Guard’s mission includes search and rescue, maritime safety, and national security operations. But under Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, assets from multiple agencies — including the Coast Guard — have been redirected to assist with detention and deportation logistics.
Critics say that shift comes with consequences.
While DHS insists that rescue operations were never compromised, officials quoted in the report suggest morale and trust have taken a hit. For a service built around the motto “Semper Paratus” — Always Ready — the perception that deportation flights might outrank a missing service member has rattled some within the ranks.
At minimum, the report underscores how deeply immigration enforcement priorities are reshaping federal resources. At worst, it raises uncomfortable questions about what — and who — comes first.
