Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken center stage in President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation campaign, which saw around 350,000 deportations in the first eight months of his presidency. Armed with aggressive enforcement tactics and advanced surveillance tools, ICE is relying heavily on technology to identify, track, and target undocumented immigrants.
Here’s a breakdown of the technologies fueling ICE’s efforts:
Clearview AI Facial Recognition
ICE recently signed a $3.75 million contract with Clearview AI to support Homeland Security Investigations, particularly in child exploitation and assaults on law enforcement cases. The agency has maintained contracts with the company since 2023, spending millions on enterprise licenses and forensic software. Clearview’s controversial system uses billions of scraped online images to identify individuals.
Paragon Spyware
In 2024, ICE signed a $2 million deal with Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions. Although the Biden administration initially froze the contract, the Trump administration reactivated it last week. The spyware package includes licenses, hardware, training, and maintenance. While the exact deployment remains unclear, concerns have mounted after Paragon was linked to surveillance scandals abroad.
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LexisNexis Data Tools
ICE has also leaned on LexisNexis’ databases to monitor and investigate migrants. Through the Accurint Virtual Crime Center, the agency performed more than 1.2 million searches in seven months, accessing background details and tracking activity before crimes occurred. In 2025 alone, ICE has spent $4.7 million on LexisNexis subscriptions. Critics argue the system enables mass surveillance of immigrant communities.
Palantir’s Investigative Platforms
Perhaps ICE’s most powerful partner is Palantir, the data analytics giant founded by Peter Thiel. Palantir has several contracts with ICE, including an $18.5 million deal for its Investigative Case Management (ICM) database, which can filter migrants by visa type, physical traits, entry points, and more. Palantir is also building a $30 million tool called ImmigrationOS, designed to streamline apprehensions, monitor visa overstays, and even track self-deportations in real time.
With Trump promising an unprecedented crackdown on immigration, ICE’s reliance on advanced surveillance technology underscores how data and algorithms are reshaping immigration enforcement. Critics warn that these tools risk expanding government overreach and eroding civil liberties, while ICE insists they are critical to ensuring safety and national security.
