Firm using Alexandria address wins $220M federal contract for Trump immigration ads

[mahatmakanejeeves]

News
Firm using Alexandria address wins $220M federal contract for Trump immigration ads

By Ryan Belmore
Published October 22, 2025 at 9:45AM

https://www.alxnow.com/files/2025/10/1759944251891-1536x864.webp
(Screenshot: U.S. Department of Homeland Security YouTube video.)

A company with an Alexandria address has secured $142.8 million of a $220 million Department of Homeland Security contract to produce advertisements promoting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies — the most expensive ad campaign of the year. ... Safe America Media LLC was incorporated in Delaware on Feb. 6, just eight days before the Feb. 14 contract award, and lists an address on Richmond Highway that carries an Alexandria mailing address but is located in Fairfax County, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press in March. The property is owned by Mike McElwain, a Republican consultant and partner at DMM Media, which is registered in Virginia as Designated Market Media, Inc., according to State Corporation Commission records.

The company has been awarded three task orders totaling $142.8 million: $62.8 million for the initial “Stronger Borders, Stronger America” campaign, $65 million for a follow-on domestic campaign, and $15 million for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment campaign. Safe America Media is working alongside People Who Think LLC, a Mandeville, Louisiana-based firm, to create ads featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging undocumented immigrants to self-deport. ... DHS has spent at least $51 million this year on the campaign, surpassing the $41 million California redistricting measure as 2025’s biggest ad spender, according to AdImpact data reported by Axios.

Safe America Media was incorporated shortly before receiving the contract. At the time of the contract award, the company did not appear in SAM.gov, the official government system for contractor registration, according to a March 21 letter from House Democratic lawmakers to Secretary Noem. Federal contracting database HigherGov lists the company’s headquarters as Alexandria with no public vendor contacts. Neither McElwain nor Safe America Media representatives responded to requests for comment from news outlets.

The contract was awarded Feb. 13 to People Who Think and Feb. 14 to Safe America Media, just three days after DHS first solicited bids, according to the Congressional letter. DHS used expedited procurement procedures, citing “unusual and compelling urgency” related to Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to contract documents. Federal acquisition regulations permit agencies to use expedited procedures when standard competitive bidding timelines would cause delays that could harm government interests.

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This story is based on reporting from Axios published in October 2025, federal contracting records, and earlier reporting from The Associated Press, Semafor, and Congressional documents from March 2025. Additional reporting includes Virginia State Corporation Commission records.

About the Author

Ryan Belmore
Ryan Belmore became Publisher of ALXnow.com on March 1, 2025, and is also the Owner and Publisher of WhatsUpNewp.com, an award-winning local independent online newsroom serving Newport, Rhode Island, since 2012. Named LION Publishers' Member of the Year in 2020, Ryan focuses on hyperlocal coverage that connects residents with their communities. He previously served as Senior Editor - North America for Mountain News, publisher of OnTheSnow.com and SkiInfo.com. Originally from Rhode Island, he moved to Alexandria in 2021 and previously served on the City's Commission for the Arts and Board of Zoning Appeals. He can be reached by email at [e-mail], on Bluesky at @ryanbelmore.com, on X at @Ryan_Belmore, and on Signal at RyanBelmore.703.

[crud]

1. The corruption is everything, everywhere, all at once.

We are watching these evil bastards rob us every day. They don't even care to hide it.