ICE has become the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s immigration strategy, pushing a record-setting deportation drive that has already seen more than 350,000 people removed.
At a Glance
- ICE’s deportation count tops 350,000 in a year.
- Contracts with tech firms total over $30 million.
- Key tools include cell-site simulators, facial-recognition software, and data-broker services.
- Why it matters: The technology stack raises questions about privacy, legality, and the scope of federal surveillance.
Introduction
President Trump announced that countering immigration would be a flagship policy of his second term, promising unprecedented deportations. Within a year, data shows ICE and Customs and Border Protection have surpassed at least 350,000 people. The agency has deployed a suite of surveillance technologies, sparking protests and legal concerns.
Cell-Site Simulators
ICE uses devices that masquerade as cellphone towers, known as stingrays or IMSI catchers, to locate and intercept nearby phones. These devices
- lure phones into connecting, gathering data from many innocent users.
- can be deployed without warrants.
- have been used in secret court cases.
In the last two years, ICE signed contracts totaling more than $1.5 million with TechOps Specialty Vehicles (TOSV). A contract worth $800,000, dated May 8, 2025, states that TOSV will provide “Cell Site Simulator (CSS) Vehicles” for the Homeland Security Technical Operations program. TOSV president Jon Brianas told News Of Philadelphia that the company does not manufacture the simulators but integrates them into the vehicle design.
Controversy
| Issue | Details |
|---|---|
| Innocent data | Devices collect data from all nearby phones. |
| Warrant-less use | Authorities sometimes deploy without a warrant. |
| Secrecy | Courts have seen cases where prosecutors avoided disclosure to protect vendor agreements. |
Facial-Recognition Software
Clearview AI, a well-known facial-recognition firm, has signed a $3.75 million contract with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to identify victims and offenders in child-sexual-exploitation cases. Prior agreements include a $1.1 million purchase of forensic software in September 2024 and a nearly $800,000 license in 2023. Clearview AI did not respond to a request for comment.
ICE also uses Mobile Fortify, an app that scans driver’s-license photos against a database of 200 million images, largely sourced from state databases.
Paragon Spyware
In September 2024, ICE signed a $2 million contract with Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions. A Biden-era stop-work order kept the contract in limbo until the Trump administration lifted it last week. The contract covers a proprietary solution with license, hardware, warranty, maintenance, and training. Whether the spyware will be deployed by ICE or HSI remains unclear.
Paragon was acquired by private-equity firm AE Industrial in December, with plans to merge it with cybersecurity company RedLattice. A spokesperson for RedLattice did not comment on the ICE contract.
Phone-Hacking Tools
HHS signed a $3 million contract with Magnet Forensics for software licenses that enable agents to recover digital evidence and unlock devices. Magnet’s Graykey devices allow law-enforcement to connect to locked phones, access data, and generate forensic reports.
Cell-Phone Location Data
At the end of September, 404 Media reported that ICE bought access to an “all-in-one” surveillance tool from Penlink, comprising Tangles and Webloc. The tools compile, process, and validate billions of daily location signals from hundreds of millions of devices, offering forensic and predictive analytics. Forbes noted that ICE spent $5 million on Penlink’s tools.
License Plate Readers
ICE relies on automated license-plate-reader (ALPR) companies like Flock Safety, which operates over 40,000 scanners across the U.S. Local law-enforcement agencies with ALPR contracts provide ICE with immigration data “by the back door.” Some police departments have cut federal access in response to informal data requests.
LexisNexis Data Broker
ICE has used LexisNexis for years. In 2022, non-profits uncovered that ICE performed more than 1.2 million searches over seven months using Accurint Virtual Crime Center. In 2023, the Intercept reported ICE’s use of LexisNexis to investigate migrants before they committed crimes.
This year, ICE paid $4.7 million for a LexisNexis subscription (LEIDS) that provides access to public records and commercial data. LexisNexis spokesperson Jennifer Richman told News Of Philadelphia that ICE has used the company’s product “data and analytics solutions for decades.” She added: “Our commitment is to support the responsible and ethical use of data, in full compliance with laws and regulations, and for the protection of all residents of the United States.”
Palantir Analytics
Palantir has signed multiple contracts with ICE, the largest being an $18.5 million deal for Investigative Case Management (ICM) in September 2024. The ICM database, originally signed in 2022 for $95.9 million, allows ICE to filter people by immigration status, physical traits, criminal affiliation, location data, and more. 404 Media revealed that the system can generate reports on visa types, port of entry, country of origin, and even hair color.
Palantir is also developing ImmigrationOS, a $30 million contract announced by Business Insider. The tool is intended to streamline the selection and apprehension of illegal aliens, provide near-real-time visibility into self-deportations, and track visa overstays.
Key Takeaways
- ICE’s mass-deportation effort is underpinned by a broad array of surveillance technologies.
- Contracts with tech firms total over $30 million, covering cell-site simulators, facial-recognition, spyware, phone-unlocking, location data, ALPRs, data-brokers, and analytics platforms.
- Legal challenges focus on warrantless use, privacy violations, and the potential overreach of federal surveillance.
- The full operational status of several contracts-particularly the Paragon spyware and the Palantir ImmigrationOS-remains uncertain.
Contact
For more information on ICE’s technology use, reach out via secure channels to Sarah L. Montgomery or contact News Of Philadelphia.
