Kristi Noem showed up at a Louisiana prison with a Rolex on her wrist and a warning on her lips.
The Homeland Security secretary was in Angola State Penitentiary to unveil a new detention unit for people held by ICE. The site is called “Camp 57.” It was almost named “Camp 47” after Donald Trump, but reports say the president pulled out at the last minute.
That left Noem in the spotlight. And she leaned into it. Photos she posted to X show her in full ICE gear, diamond ring flashing, gold watch glinting in the sun. The watch appears to be a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona worth nearly $50,000.
Critics quickly pointed out it was the same watch she wore earlier this year during her trip to El Salvador’s massive Terrorism Confinement Center. Back then, she posed in front of crammed cells, warning about crime. This time, she did the same. She stood in a crowded unit at Angola and used the people inside as the backdrop for a video threatening migrants who come to the United States illegally.
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Noem’s team had an answer ready months ago. In a statement to the Daily Beast, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said: “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.”
Her records back that up. In her 2024 disclosure, Noem reported a $139,750 advance for her book No Going Back. That is the same book where she described shooting her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, a passage that set off national outrage.
That nickname, “ICE Barbie,” has followed Noem for months. She has been mocked for showing up at detention sites and prisons in different costumes — ICE hats, border patrol jackets, law-and-order gear — while posing for dramatic photos.
On Thursday, she added another image to the collection. Standing in front of a wire fence at Angola, Rolex flashing, she wrote: “To every criminal illegal alien perpetuating violence on our streets, beware: your free pass is over. Louisiana Lockup could be your last stop in America.”
To every criminal illegal alien perpetuating violence on our streets, beware: your free pass is over.
Louisiana Lockup could be your last stop in America. pic.twitter.com/gLl0PYwGJD
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) September 4, 2025
ICE later confirmed the camp was already open for business. On its first day, 51 detainees were moved inside. More are expected in the coming weeks.
Featured image via X screengrab
