The Department of Homeland Security fast-tracked a contract worth almost $1 billion to a company led by a donor to a pro-Trump nonprofit group where one of the officials overseeing the deal previously worked, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.
That donor, William Walters, leads another company that received a separate $140 million contract from DHS to purchase six Boeing 737 planes to use for deportations, The Post reported last week.
The larger contract involves a DHS program called Project Homecoming that offers cash bonuses, free flights and a “concierge service” at airports for departing migrants. The program arose from an executive order on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term directing DHS to develop policies to encourage immigrants to leave the country voluntarily, a process the administration calls “self-deportation.”
The agency said nonpartisan professionals control its contracting decisions. But in the case of the Project Homecoming contract, political appointees coordinated the process, emails obtained by The Post show.
That contract went to an Arlington-based company called Salus Worldwide Solutions, according to an official with direct knowledge of the matter. The company was incorporated in June 2023. Its website describes experience coordinating international travel, disaster aid and secure facilities.
Salus had never received a federal contract before, according to government spending records. It served as a subcontractor on two State Department contracts, according to a lawsuit challenging the Project Homecoming contract. Walters, the company’s CEO, was a donor to the America First Policy Institute, according to government documentation reviewed by The Post. AFPI does not publicly disclose its donors. The nonprofit recognized Walters as one of three recipients of a “Patriot Award” at its annual gala in November 2024.
Walters also gave $10,000 in October 2024 to American Resolve, a super PAC run by allies of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem that supported Trump in the presidential election, according to federal campaign finance data. Representatives for the PAC did not respond to an inquiry from The Post.
The other company led by Walters, Daedalus Aviation, was incorporated in February 2024. The process leading to that contract was not immediately clear.
Federal law prohibits government contractors from contributing to campaigns or political committees. But Walters and his company were not contractors at the time, and the ban does not extend to nonprofit groups.
Walters declined to comment through a lawyer, citing ongoing litigation. The Project Homecoming contract is being challenged by a company that alleges it didn’t get a fair chance to compete.
In an unsigned statement sent from DHS’s general press mailbox in response to questions from The Post, the agency said that its contracts “are subject to applicable federal procurement laws and oversight, which ensure transparency, competition, and the prudent use of taxpayer funds.” The agency declined to answer specific questions because of the lawsuit challenging the contract.
The DHS general counsel’s office said protests of large contracts are common. The office said it reviewed Salus’s interactions with the agency and communications about the Project Homecoming contract and found no legal violations.
“There is zero indication that there was any wrongdoing on anyone’s part,” the statement said.
Federal contracts are highly regulated to prevent political appointees from using taxpayer money to reward supporters. Ordinarily, federal business opportunities go through a public process of soliciting bids, and the companies that compete for them are usually specialized and experienced. DHS’s statement said “all aspects” of its contracting decisions are “controlled” by career professionals in its procurement office.
But according to the lawsuit from the competing company that is challenging the award, as well as an official familiar with the process, DHS officials shared nonpublic information with Salus to help prepare its bid, prompting an investigation by agency lawyers. The company referenced evidence that is under a court-ordered seal.
The investigation, which the lawsuit said began in April, found that DHS employees exchanged at least 40 emails with Salus between February and April to discuss the contract, including budget and program specifications. The investigation determined that Salus had an unfair advantage in helping to design the contract it bid on, the competing company said in a Dec. 2 court filing that cited evidence under seal.
In an email to The Post, a lawyer for Salus denied that the company received “inside” information.
After the investigation, DHS officials decided to change course and conduct an abbreviated competition, with a preselected pool of applicants and a three-day turnaround, according to the court filing and internal communications obtained by The Post.
“We are NOT pursuing the ‘intent to sole source’ this contracting activity,” senior DHS official Karen Evans said in a May 8 email to other officials, using a technical term for a noncompetitive process. Evans did not respond to phone calls from The Post.
The records show that a DHS official who previously worked at the America First Policy Institute — Rob Law, serving as undersecretary for policy — helped coordinate the competition. An email obtained by The Post from DHS Chief Procurement Officer Paul Courtney states: “Rob Law is leading this effort for the front office,” using a term for the agency’s political leadership. Courtney did not respond to phone calls.
In its statement, DHS denied Law’s involvement. “DHS follows strict ethics and recusal protocols, and there was no role for Mr. Law in this procurement action,” the agency said.
The process around the Project Homecoming contract adds to a series of spending decisions by Noem and her top adviser, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, that congressional Democrats have questioned. The agency awarded a $77 million advertising contract to a company that previously worked with Lewandowski, and $143 million to a Delaware corporation that in turn hired a company run by the husband of Noem’s spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, according to ProPublica. A DHS spokesperson said the agency didn’t choose the subcontractor.
Additionally, DHS spent $200 million on two Gulfstream private jets for Noem’s use; the Coast Guard said the jets are not “a perk or luxury — it’s a national security asset.”
It is unclear whether Noem approved the fast-track process for Project Homecoming. Officials prepared a memo to notify her about the process, according to communications reviewed by The Post, but the records do not include a response.
DHS officials met with a small number of preselected vendors, according to the lawsuit. One other company heard about the opportunity and asked to participate, the lawsuit alleges. Six preselected companies received documentation needed to prepare their proposals on a Friday in mid-May, with a deadline of 10 a.m. the following Monday.
The lawsuit was filed in August by CSI Aviation, which had previously worked for DHS operating deportation flights. The suit says CSI contacted DHS asking to participate in the bidding process but never received a response. After Salus was selected, CSI sued, alleging that the agency allowed only “hand-picked” vendors to compete on an “impossibly short” deadline.
The government and Salus filed responses under seal on Dec. 9.
John Hudson, Dan Diamond and Aaron Schaffer contributed to this report.
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