Who's Behind ICE? The Tech and Data Companies Fueling Deportations

Who's Behind ICE? The Tech and Data Companies Fueling Deportations aims to do a number of things. First, it intends to raise alarm about how digital data collection is being used by federal authorities and local police to target individuals for law enforcement action. The authors note that although the focus of such activity is often out-of-status immigrants, this approach to policing is also negatively affecting people of color more generally. Through cloud storage and coordination, larger amounts of personal data are available for analysis, allowing for mass deportations and attempts to predict future behavior. The authors believe that the use of this type of powerful technology calls for expanding “sanctuary city” policies to combat mass digital surveillance. Second, the report calls attention to the number and size of contracts given to private companies to host and work with data the government has collected (e.g., Amazon, Palantir, etc.). The report notes that there has been a revolving door in this area, as government officials draft official policy that benefits companies they work for after leaving their posts. Some of these individuals then rotate back into government and are tasked with monitoring their former companies. The authors see a need for greater public awareness of how these private companies are profiting by abetting ICE and suggest that employees of these companies can play a key role by raising their voices in protest. Finally, the report attempts to map the connections between people and companies that create the larger network that supports ICE and other agencies involved in deportations. (Erik Jacobson, Montclair State University)

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