The Tech Arsenal ICE Has Deployed to Track Protesters in Minneapolis
By Sheera Frenkel and Aaron Krolik
Published January 30, 2026; Updated January 31, 2026
In the wake of heightened protests and unrest in Minneapolis, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up its surveillance operations. Using an array of sophisticated technological tools, the agency is not only identifying undocumented immigrants but also monitoring and tracking protesters, a practice confirmed by current and former Department of Homeland Security officials.
A Startling Encounter
On the morning of January 10, Nicole Cleland, a volunteer with a local watchdog group, experienced firsthand how ICE agents are employing advanced surveillance technologies. While driving in her hometown of Richfield, Minnesota, Cleland noticed an ICE agent tailing her vehicle. The agent suddenly turned into a complex network of one-way streets and stopped. To her surprise, the agent approached her car and addressed her by name, despite never having met her before.
“He said he had facial recognition and that his body camera was on,” Cleland recounted. She was one of at least seven U.S. citizens who, in recent weeks, were informed by ICE agents that facial recognition technology was being used to record them without their consent, according to local activists and social media evidence verified by The New York Times.
Heightened Surveillance Amid a Crackdown
The deployment of facial recognition technology is only one facet of ICE’s multi-pronged surveillance strategy in Minneapolis. The presence of thousands of agents conducting a crackdown in the city has been marked by the use of cutting-edge tools designed to identify and track individuals of interest.
Officials revealed that ICE utilizes two facial recognition systems in Minnesota: one developed by Clearview AI—a company known for its extensive database of images scraped from the internet—and a newer platform called Mobile Fortify. Beyond facial recognition, agents are employing cellphone and social media monitoring tools capable of tracking online activities, and they possess the capability to potentially hack into phones.
Perhaps most concerning is the agency’s reliance on a comprehensive data platform provided by Palantir, a data analytics company. This platform aggregates government and commercial data sources, enabling ICE agents to pinpoint the real-time locations of individuals they are targeting.
Legal and Ethical Questions
These revelations come amid broader public debates about privacy, civil liberties, and the appropriate use of surveillance technologies. Activists and civil rights advocates have raised alarms about the monitoring of American citizens engaged in protests and community activities without any clear consent or judicial oversight.
The New York Times has confirmed the use of these technologies through interviews with officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential internal operations. The findings highlight a growing trend in law enforcement agencies utilizing commercial technology partnerships to expand their surveillance capabilities.
The Challenge of Oversight
While ICE’s mission traditionally centers on immigration enforcement, the agency’s use of advanced surveillance in Minneapolis signals an expansion of its role into broader policing tactics. The blending of surveillance intended for immigration enforcement with domestic protest monitoring blurs legal lines and complicates questions about oversight.
Looking Ahead
As ICE continues its operations, concerns about transparency and accountability remain paramount. Local activists continue to document encounters with agents and share experiences that underscore the agency’s extensive use of technology in everyday interactions.
The deployment of facial recognition and data-analytics technologies by ICE in Minneapolis reflects a wider national conversation about the balance between security and privacy in the digital age—a topic that promises continued scrutiny and debate.
For more information on this developing story, visit The New York Times technology section.
