ICE's surveillance capabilities expand under Trump

October 3, 2025 • 11:44

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is dramatically broadening its surveillance apparatus under the Trump administration, fueled by a significant funding increase. The agency is purchasing access to massive commercial databases of cell phone location data, allowing for warrantless tracking of millions. It has also acquired sophisticated software for remotely hacking and cracking into encrypted mobile phones. Furthermore, ICE is leveraging AI-powered tools to monitor social media, build profiles of individuals, and even track their movements in specific locations. These acquisitions, combined with access to license plate reader networks and biometric data like facial and retinal scans, represent a major policy shift. Civil liberties advocates warn that these powerful, indiscriminate tools pose a severe threat to privacy, potentially turning ordinary citizens and protestors into government targets without due process.

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