ICE Surveillance Spending Hits $513M: What It Means for You
The US government is now spending $513 million a year to track, identify, and arrest immigrants — a record high. Facial recognition apps, AI-powered drones, phone-hacking tools, and social media scrapers are all part of the arsenal. If you are an immigrant living in the US, this surveillance may already be watching you.
A record $513 million spent on immigration surveillance in 2026
A new report from immigration rights groups Mijente, Just Futures Law, and Surveillance Resistance Lab reveals that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spent $513 million on surveillance technology contracts in 2026. That is up from $310 million in 2025 — and nearly ten times the roughly $50 million spent in 2013. The report analyzed contracts with 11 technology companies that provide surveillance tools to federal immigration agencies.
The biggest share of that money goes to two companies: Palantir, a data analytics firm that manages large amounts of ICE enforcement data, and Anduril, a defense company that builds AI-powered border towers, drones, and sensors. But the tools go far beyond the border. ICE is also paying for facial recognition apps — including one called Mobile Fortify, which has been used to scan the faces of immigrants and protesters in the street. Other tools include software that pulls data from cars when you connect your phone, smartwatches that track migrants waiting for immigration court hearings, and AI programs that build profiles of people based on their social media and financial records.
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The report also found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and CBP, does not just buy surveillance tools — it also funds the companies that build them. A program called the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) has given $845 million to about 500 companies since 2004. Some of that money has gone toward tools that harvest biometric data (like fingerprints and face scans) from cellphones and analyze airport security camera footage automatically. One of the report's authors, Paromita Shah of Just Futures Law, warned that DHS may be building a database of people who have protested or spoken out against ICE. ICE has denied keeping any database of US citizens who protest its activities. The report also notes that Equifax — the credit company many people use to rent apartments or buy cars — may share data with ICE through a company it owns called Appriss.
What to do
- Know your ICE arrest rights. You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to open your door unless ICE has a signed judicial warrant (a warrant signed by a judge, not just an ICE administrative warrant). Lawyers recommend keeping a copy of your rights on your phone or printed at home.
- Be careful what you post online. AI tools like Tangles can build a profile of you from your social media accounts and financial records. Think before you post about your immigration status, location, or political views.
- Protect your devices. Tools like Berla iVe can pull data from devices you connect to your car. Lawyers recommend not connecting personal phones or tablets to rental or shared vehicles.
- Talk to an immigration lawyer. If you are in removal proceedings (the legal process where the government tries to deport you), have a green card application pending, or are waiting for an immigration court hearing, an attorney can help you understand how surveillance data could affect your case.
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If ICE approaches you, do not answer questions about your immigration status without an attorney present — anything you say can be used in removal proceedings against you. If facial recognition or social media data was used to locate or arrest you, that information may be challengeable in immigration court depending on how it was obtained. Given the scale of surveillance described in this report, anyone with an open immigration case — including green card applicants, asylum seekers, and DACA recipients — should consult an immigration attorney to review their digital footprint and court strategy.