Revealing the Surveillance Tools Driving Trump’s Immigration Policies: What You Need to Know

Technology plays a big role in monitoring asylum seekers. Real-time apps and ankle monitors are used to keep track of their movements. Agencies also rely on vast databases filled with personal details, including fingerprints and facial images. There are even tools that can access locked phones, letting officials sift through countless emails and text messages.

This tech arsenal is part of President Trump’s effort to tackle illegal immigration and conduct a major deportation operation. His administration can utilize resources accumulated by both Democratic and Republican administrations. An analysis by The New York Times highlights that nearly $7.8 billion has been spent on immigration technologies since 2020.

A review of about 15,000 contracts shows that two main agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), have funded numerous technologies from 263 companies. Many contracts started during the Biden era and include tools for DNA testing to quickly verify family relationships, which is important because families are often treated differently than individuals.

These contracts vary widely, from basic phone services to sophisticated technologies from various companies. For instance, Palantir, a data analysis company co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, received over $1 billion in recent years. Another company, Venntel, specialized in location data and had contracts worth at least $330,000 with ICE.

The Biden administration also used these high-tech tools for immigration enforcement, which helped in tackling drug trafficking and human smuggling, among other issues. It remains unclear how Trump might employ these technologies, particularly as many immigrants’ locations are already known and there’s a lack of personnel and facilities for detaining individuals.