The Trump administration used federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security to finance a set of controversial pro-Trump advertisements that recently began airing on television, according to people familiar with the matter. The taxpayer money used to fund the ads that started airing last week came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an arm of DHS that oversees the Border Patrol and customs and immigration at airports, the people said.

President Trump personally pushed for the advertisements and was involved in their creation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The White House calls the spots public-service ads, but critics argue using taxpayer money for campaign-like messaging may violate federal law.