U.S. immigration plans full-time social media surveillance to bolster enforcement actions

Federal procurement documents reveal ICE plans a 24/7 social media surveillance program, with analysts at centers in Vermont and California monitoring public online activity to generate intelligence dossiers supporting arrests and deportations under its Enforcement and Removal Operations division

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning a significant expansion of its surveillance capabilities by proposing a new program that would monitor social media platforms for leads in immigration enforcement. The agency is seeking private contractors to staff a multi-year initiative, with nearly 30 analysts expected to be placed in two ICE targeting centers located in Vermont and Southern California.

According to recently reviewed federal procurement documents, the proposed program would involve round-the-clock operations. Analysts would sift through public posts, photos, videos, and messages on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit, turning this data into intelligence dossiers that could be used to plan arrests or deportation raids. The surveillance would support ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

Constant monitoring and use of advanced tools

The plan outlines a 24/7 surveillance operation, with one facility in Williston, Vermont, and the other in Santa Ana, California. These sites would be staffed by teams of researchers, senior analysts, and shift leads. The Vermont center would host a team of about a dozen personnel, while the California site would operate a larger unit of 16 contractors.

Contractors would use a combination of open-source intelligence and powerful commercial data platforms such as LexisNexis Accurint and Thomson Reuters CLEAR. These tools can link personal details across property records, phone bills, utilities, vehicle registrations, and other data, enabling the construction of detailed profiles on individuals.

The program also emphasizes speed and efficiency. Analysts would be expected to handle urgent cases—such as those involving national security threats or ICE’s most-wanted list—within 30 minutes. Other cases would have turnaround times ranging from one hour to a full working day, depending on priority.

Privacy concerns and AI integration

The documents reveal that ICE is exploring the integration of artificial intelligence into the monitoring process. Contractors are being asked to propose how AI could be used to enhance data analysis and case generation. This builds on ICE’s long-standing partnership with Palantir Technologies, whose Investigative Case Management (ICM) platform already consolidates data from various surveillance programs.

Privacy advocates have raised serious concerns. The Electronic Privacy Information Center and the American Civil Liberties Union have both criticized ICE’s use of data brokers and its reliance on bulk data collection, arguing that it allows the agency to bypass legal safeguards like warrants. Earlier reports also revealed ICE’s use of facial recognition, smartphone tracking software, and controversial surveillance tools like Clearview AI and Locate X.

Though ICE claims guardrails will be in place—such as bans on fake profiles or saving data outside of government systems—previous cases suggest these rules may not always be strictly followed. Critics fear that the new program could blur the lines between immigration enforcement and broader domestic surveillance, including the monitoring of political dissent.