U.S. taxpayers spent over $286,000 on production costs for an anti-immigration ad featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to expenses revealed by Democratic Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. The Strategy Group, a Trump-allied subcontractor, created the $220 million commercial and spent over 100,000 in labor costs, received a $60,000 "signing bonus" to produce the ad, and another $20,000 for horse rentals. Following the controversy, President Donald Trump removed Noem from her Homeland Security post and said he didn't know about the costs. Noem appeared on horseback at Mount Rushmore, advocating for undocumented immigrants to leave the United States.