How ICE Uses Advanced Technology and Databases to Track People
By Lauren Girgis, Seattle Times Staff Reporter
February 13, 2026
Under the Trump administration’s stringent immigration enforcement policies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been equipped with an expansive array of surveillance technologies aimed at tracking not only undocumented migrants but also legal immigrants and, in some instances, American citizens who resist government actions in their communities.
Expanded Surveillance Arsenal
The Trump administration significantly increased ICE’s funding—from $8 billion to nearly $29 billion annually—making it the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the country. This surge in resources enabled ICE to acquire almost every major surveillance technology developed over the past two decades.
According to Cooper Quintin, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, ICE’s toolbox includes cutting-edge contracts for systems like “Tangles” and “Webloc,” which reportedly track cellphones without requiring a warrant. Moreover, the agency has utilized Cellebrite technology to unlock phones, crucially accessing encrypted messages and location histories. There are also contracts involving spyware from Paragon, capable of reading encrypted communications in real time and activating microphones covertly. Although the Biden administration had paused one Paragon deal amid security concerns, the overall technological capabilities remain formidable.
ICE has additionally invested heavily in artificial intelligence tools to scrape social media platforms and monitor public posts, while deploying cell-site simulators—often called stingrays—that mimic cell towers to pinpoint and identify nearby mobile phones.
Biometric surveillance plays a key role; facial and iris recognition technologies have been implemented in locations like Minnesota, where American citizens’ faces were scanned live by agents using mobile apps.
Integration and Data Sharing
One of ICE’s most powerful tools is a contract with Palantir Technologies, Peter Thiel’s AI company. This partnership enables ICE to consolidate data from various government networks—including immigration and Internal Revenue Service databases—into a unified system. This comprehensive integration allows agents to view detailed profiles (“dossiers”) on individuals, complete with “confidence scores” on their addresses, aiding targeted deportation efforts.
Last month, former Trump border official Tom Homan revealed plans to establish a database specifically tracking protestors or individuals who obstruct ICE operations.
Local Law Enforcement and Data Access
A University of Washington Center for Human Rights study revealed that at least eight Washington state law enforcement agencies shared data from Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers (ALPRs) with U.S. Border Patrol in 2025. Flock Safety is a dominant player in license plate reader technologies nationwide.
This sharing occurred despite the Keep Washington Working Act, a state law prohibiting local agencies from assisting federal immigration enforcement. Angelina Snodgrass Godoy, director of the UW Center, explained that federal officials often access local data through “side-door searches,” wherein local officers conduct searches on behalf of federal immigration agents—frequently without public knowledge.
To address these issues, Washington’s Senate recently passed Bill 6002, which prohibits police from sharing ALPR data for civil immigration enforcement and mandates deletion of data within 21 days unless it serves police investigations. However, Godoy highlighted that the bill overlooks privately operated ALPR networks, such as those run by retailers, which remain accessible to law enforcement.
In Yakima, for instance, police accessed ALPR data from over 90 Lowe’s hardware stores, some of which have been ICE targets.
Further complicating privacy concerns, a separate UW study found that federal immigration officers queried Washington’s Department of Licensing data via law enforcement data-sharing platforms to locate vehicle owners and conduct traffic stops leading to civil immigration arrests. Although state authorities have barred ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations from accessing this data since November, Customs and Border Protection can still query it.
Implications and Recommendations
The easy penetration of surveillance systems and the extensive trade of personal data by brokers and surveillance firms form a concerning environment where government agencies can assemble detailed information on individuals with minimal barriers.
Quintin recommends that individuals be aware of these surveillance capabilities and take steps to protect their privacy, although specific preventive measures were not fully outlined.
Conclusion
ICE’s expanded use of surveillance technologies represents a vast and growing capability to monitor, track, and potentially disrupt the lives of immigrants and citizens alike. As state and local entities grapple with the extent of their data sharing and the implications for civil liberties, legislative efforts to curb the reach of such technologies face significant challenges.
For more information on privacy rights and how to protect yourself from surveillance, contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation or your local civil rights organization.
