Outlet profile

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (official releases)

U.S. federal government — executive branch

Owned byU.S. federal government; DHS is a Cabinet-level department of the executive branch, headed by a Secretary appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the President

FundingCongressional appropriations drawn from federal tax revenue; FY2027 budget request totals approximately $118.4 billion in total budget authority

On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

DHS was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, signed by President George W. Bush on November 25, 2002, as a direct response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It formally opened on March 1, 2003, consolidating 22 existing federal agencies — including elements of the INS, Customs Service, Coast Guard, Secret Service, and FEMA — in the largest reorganization of the federal government since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947. Today DHS employs more than 240,000 people and is the third-largest Cabinet department. Its communications output has always reflected the policy priorities of the sitting president: border and immigration enforcement under Bush and Obama, and similar themes under subsequent administrations. During Trump's second term (beginning January 2025), DHS communications have been explicitly branded with Trump-aligned slogans and have emphasized mass deportations, border wall construction, and election-security directives. Kristi Noem served as Secretary from January 2025 until she was dismissed in March 2026 and replaced by Senator Markwayne Mullin. Because DHS's press office is part of the executive branch, its releases are not editorially independent — they are official government communications designed to inform the public about and build support for administration actions.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-07-19; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record