Apps and ankle monitors tracking in real time no matter where the refugee applicants are. A database filled with personal information such as fingerprints and faces. An investigative tool that invades locked mobile phones and allows you to search for emails, text messages, and other files in gigabytes.
These are some of the technology weapons that President Trump, who aims to crack down on illegal immigrants and execute the largest expulsion strategy in the US history, can be used. According to the New York Times analysis, the Trump administration can use almost unprecedented tools in western countries built by the Democratic Party and Republican Party.
Approximately 15,000 contracts have shown that since 2020, two agencies, the Immigration and Customs Executive Bureau and the National and Immigration Service Bureau, have spent $ 7.8 billion in 263 immigration technology.
Most of the contracts were started under the Biden administration, for example, tools that can quickly prove their family relationships by DNA tests to confirm whether there is a relationship between adult immigrants and minors across borders. It was included. (Family families are often treated different from individuals.) In other systems, comparing biometric authentication with crime records, warning the agent to change the address, tracking the car with a license plate leader, calling, telephone, Rip and analyze data from hard drive, car.
The size of the contract was various, from everyday technologies such as telephone services to advanced tools for large and medium -sized enterprises. Peter Teil, a millionaire, has received more than $ 1 billion in the past four years. Ventel, a position data provider, signed a contract of 7 ICEs and at least $ 330,000 from 2018 to 2022.
The Biden administration has used many of these technologies to crack down on immigration, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, and investigating gang activities across borders. It is unknown how Trump will use the tool, and the government is facing a shortage of facilities that restrain staff and people.
But Trump has already announced that his immigration policy is significantly different from his predecessor's policy. This week, the President has blocked the border and announced a series of administrative measures to export immigrants and exile.
Mr. Trump said at the inauguration ceremony on Monday, “We will stop all illegal entry and start a process to return millions of criminal foreigners.”
It is almost certain that high -tech products will appear in these plans. The administration's border emperor Thomas Homan discusses to meet high -tech companies about available tools.
“They will definitely use all the tools that can be used freely, including newly available new technologies,” said John Torres, a former ICE.
The White House spokeswoman for comments. ICE stated in a statement that “it uses various forms of technology and information to fulfill its mission, while protecting privacy and public rights and freedom in accordance with the applicable law.”
Eric Hisen, the highest information in the Ministry of Land Security under the President of the Biden, said that ICE and other immigration bureaus were very responsible. According to him, many of the tools are designed for the purpose of investigating drug traffickers and other criminals, rather than the tracking of immigrants, but other technologies such as the license plate reader alleviate the traffic in the border checkpoint. It may be used to do it.
Hisen added that the federal government has many years to restrict how to use monitoring tools, but the restrictions can be released by the new administration. “These can be changed, but it's not easy to change,” he said.
Creating a weapon
The accumulation of immigration technology goes back to the establishment of the Ministry of Land Security after the attack on September 11, 2001. The interest in this tool is expected to accelerate the boom and grow further under Trump. Europe and other leaders are also investing in technology, as some countries have adopted more restrictive immigration policies.
Many companies are competing to meet demand, providing services to strengthen borders and tracks immigrants after entering the country.
In the United States, GPS tracking devices, digital forensic tools, and data brokers manufacturers are beneficiary. Palantir and others have acquired a contract with ICE regarding data saving and analysis. Thomson Reuters, Lexis Nexis, and credit rating companies provide access to personal information databases that are useful for government officials to find the homes, workplaces, and social connections of the people and non -nation.
According to the government's records, the face -recognized company Clear View AI had nearly $ 9 million contracts. Israeli's telephone cracking company Cellebrite has sold about $ 54 million as an investigation tool for ICE. It is well known that the FBI has used CELLEBRITE tools in Sanberner Dino, California to support the investigation in 2016, to unlock the iphone of the gunfire.
Investors are paying attention. Geo Group, a private prison operating company, which sells surveillance technology to ICE, has increased more than twice since Trump won the November election. Celvrite stock prices have almost doubled in the past six months, and the population's stock price has risen nearly 80 %.
Tom Hogan, a provisional highest executive officer of Sele Bright, is proud of being able to contribute to “protecting his homeland and borders with our technology.” Tomson Reuters stated in a statement that the company's technology was used by government agencies to support children's exploitation, trafficking, drug smuggling, and investigating gang activities across borders. Lexis Nexis, Clearview, and Palantir did not respond to comments.
The Geo Group's Wayne Calabress Officer (COO) was a telecommodent meeting for investors in November, but has been detained, but has been detained, but has been detained. The company expects a wider approach to monitor millions of individuals. ” 。
“We guarantee that ICE has the ability to rapidly expand the scale,” he said.
Geo Group, based in Vocalaton, Florida, said in a statement for this article, looking forward to supporting the Trump administration. “The Trump administration is working quickly to secure borders and achieve the plan and goals that have announced the execution of the immigration law.” “
Position tracking
According to experts, one of the technologies that can be used immediately for expulsion of large quantities can identify the exact position of immigrants.
Approximately 180,000 illegal immigrants are wearing an ankle bracelet equipped with a GPS tracking device, or using an app called SmartLink, which requires at least once a day. This technology manufactured by Geo Group subsidiaries is used in a program called Alternative to Detension. The program began in 2004 and expanded to monitor digital in the Biden administration instead of containing people in detention.
According to a court document scrutinized by the Times, the position data collected through the program was used in at least one ICE investigation. In August 2019, under the first Trump administration, government officials tracked the women's whereabouts as part of the program. Thanks to this, the investigators were able to obtain an investigation for chicken processing plants in Mississippi, forced investigations throughout the state, and were detained with about 680 immigrants, whose legal status was uncertain.
Shahar Zota, the legal affairs of Just Futures Law, who opposes the government's monitoring program, cannot physically detain a huge number of individuals without legal status. The Trump administration said it would be necessary to rely on digital monitoring tools.
“I believe that the current administration wants to expand its detention, and I will find it, but it will take some time,” she said. “I think this program will continue to be important as a means of monitoring and controlling people.”
Data treasure trove
The Trump administration can also access private databases, including biological authentication, address, and criminal history. According to a 2022 survey by Georger Town University, the agent can get a record of about three -quarters of the Americans and a three -thirds of American driver's license.
These tools may be used to track those who have a criminal history or those who do not appear in the Immigration Court's hearing. Investigators can use a database to find someone's car information and accurately identify their position using a license plate reader.
According to Georger Town's survey, ICE has accessed driver's license data through private companies such as Oregon and Washington, even after the state trying to block the access to the federal government during the first Trump administration. I was able to do it.
Former ICE staff Tries said that the information was important for the staff to find people.
“I know people offering fake addresses,” he says. Agents can “use big data sharing to surveys their position based on habits.”
As a result, privacy concerns have occurred. According to Georger Town Law Office Privacy Technology Center, a well -known researcher, “Privacy violations may seem theoretical on the desk, but not theoretical for those who are weak at the forefront.” Was stated.
During the Biden administration, ICE also purchased software from Babel Street, a technology company that collects data from thousands of public websites and other sources. The company's services can be evaluated as potential security risks based on data. Babel Street did not respond to the comment request. ICE also pays about 12 companies to overcome passcode, surface deleted files, and analyzes the e -mail receiving box.
Some immigrants are wondering how Trump's administration may use this technology. Dave Mars, Officer of the Citizens' Frontier Foundation, said that some tools were the most associated with investigations that were narrowed down.
“The ones they buy may be completely different from what they have purchased,” says Mars. In any case, technology companies said, “It will make a lot of money.”
Methodology
The New York Times analyzed government contract data from USASPENDING.GOV. This data includes immigration and customs execution, citizenship and immigration services from 2020 to the present. The Times used the recipient's information and the explanation of the contract to narrow down the data to technology -related contracts. Times papers examined not only the promised amount but also the amount actually used to calculate the total amount and the total number of high -tech companies.