Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem appeared to sport a flashy gold Rolex watch worth nearly $60,000 while filming inside a high-security mega-prison in El Salvador.
Noem visited the country’s Terrorism Confinement Center — currently housing hundreds of Venezuelans recently deported under the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act — on Wednesday for a video PSA. Standing in front of a cell packed with inmates, Noem issued a stern warning to undocumented immigrants and urged them against entering the United States.
“If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face,” Noem said in the video posted on X. “This facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”
In the end, Noem’s flashy wristwatch proved to be the star of the clip. It has since been identified by the Washington Post as an 18-karat gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which reportedly costs a cool $59,500. It offered a marked contrast to scenes from the notorious mega-prison, and it was quick to spark backlash online.
One person wrote on X that Noem “should focus on human rights, not luxury. Her wealth screams privilege, not leadership. Shameful display amidst such suffering.”
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left, looks at prisoners during a tour of a prison in El Salvador on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Another compared the clip to “the TV show ‘Beyond Scared Straight,’” labeling Noem’s appearance at the prison as “some real sick s–t.”
In response to a request for comment, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin took issue with the Washington Post for focusing on Noem’s look rather than her efforts at the prison.
“During Women’s History month, it becomes particularly glaring that I have not yet seen the Washington Post write a story on a man in leadership’s watch, they seem to reserve this scrutiny for a female Secretary of Homeland Security, who has secured the border to the greatest level seen in American history,” McLaughlin said.
“But since you’re so interested, then-Governor Noem chose to use the proceeds from her New York Times best selling books to purchase an item she could wear and one day pass down to her children.”
