Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ramping up its surveillance capabilities to advance the government’s immigration agenda on an unprecedented scale. According to the federal spending site USASpending.gov, the agency signed contractual obligations in September for a $1.4 billion order — the highest in 18 years — for the acquisition of new technologies such as an iris-scanning app they plan to use in the field, spyware that can remotely hack smartphones, and location software that can track phone activity without a warrant, including nearly all social media platforms.
The plan has drawn criticism from Democratic members of Congress, civil rights advocates, and former officials who claim that these programs could be used to attack free expression protected by the First Amendment. In this context, Donald Trump ordered an investigation into Antifa, a designated domestic terrorist organization that, in his words, “demands the overthrow of the United States government, law enforcement, and our legal system.” The White House has not presented evidence that the violent attacks against Trump supporters or the federal agency are the work of this group, rather than individual actors.
Added to all this is the tender for the launch of social media monitoring centers in Williston, Vermont, and Santa Ana, California, which seek to expand the agency’s anti-immigrant hunt by collecting data on its targets. The plan (which is subject to change) includes tracking accounts on Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, WhatsApp, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Flickr, Myspace, and Google+. ICE indicates that undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes are the main target, but also considers domestic terrorism a top priority and establishes that the contractor must “shift priorities” when necessary.
In response to these actions, the United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America, and American Federation of Teachers unions filed a lawsuit last week against the Departments of State and Homeland Security for “ideological surveillance” of immigrants in the United States using artificial intelligence (AI), alleging that they seek to “punish” the views of their opponents. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson issued a statement alleging that left-wing organizations “fueled violent riots, organized attacks against law enforcement officers, coordinated illegal doxxing campaigns, arranged drop points for weapons and riot materials and more.”
