ICE Renews $25M Data Broker Contract for Immigration Enforcement Tools
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has renewed a $25 million-per-year contract with a Thomson Reuters subsidiary to use data broker tools for immigration enforcement purposes, according to reporting by Wired.
Contract Details
The contract enables ICE to access tools that can identify unaccompanied minors and assist with fraud detection efforts. The agreement represents a continuation and potential expansion of data-driven surveillance capabilities available to the agency.
Data Broker Tools in Immigration Enforcement
Data broker services typically aggregate information from various public and commercial sources, including public records, commercial databases, and other data sets. These tools can cross-reference multiple data points to generate profiles or identify individuals matching certain criteria.
The use of such tools by immigration authorities raises questions about data privacy, due process, and the scope of government surveillance activities.
Context
The renewal comes as the Trump administration has pursued expanded immigration enforcement measures. Civil liberties advocates have expressed concern about the increasing reliance on automated systems and commercial data sources in immigration proceedings.