A recent report highlights the significant increase in the US government’s surveillance tools aimed at immigration, showing new information about how funding for technology and AI to locate and monitor migrants has reached unprecedented levels during Donald Trump’s second term.
The report, this week, examined contracts from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) with 11 companies that provide surveillance technology. It revealed that funding allocated to these companies doubled from 2024 to 2025, surpassing $310 million – then jumped to a record $513 million in 2026.
Researchers traced these contracts back to 2013 when they were below $50 million, noting a consistent rise over time – especially noticeable in the last two years. The report emphasizes that this growth is mainly fueled by substantial new agreements with Palantir, a data analytics firm essential to ICE’s operations, alongside Anduril, a defense company known for its AI-driven surveillance systems, advanced border towers, drones, and sensors.
This comprehensive analysis was conducted by Mijente, an immigration rights group; Just Futures Law; and Surveillance Resistance Lab. It emerges as ICE has become the best-funded law enforcement agency in the US due to increased financial backing that enhances immigration agencies’ surveillance capabilities.
chart showing contract payments by ICE and CBP
The report illustrates how ICE is utilizing taxpayer money for multimillion-dollar federal contracts covering a wide array of tools and services. These include expenditures on data brokers, analytics software, social media scrapers, facial recognition technologies, hacking devices aimed at infiltrating phones, external contractors labeled as “bounty hunters,” along with “autonomous” border towers and drones.
It also explains how the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees both ICE and CBP, not only purchases surveillance products but also runs a billion-dollar incubator program. This initiative funds research projects and partnerships that influence the technology being developed. The authors state that such funding is critical for “providing early funding for companies that go on to be major surveillance technology providers.”
Protesters call for divestment from Palantir Technologies and the defunding of ICE and military efforts in New York, on 21 March. Photograph: Nur Photo/Getty Images
These programs include the Silicon Valley Innovation Partnership offering up to $2 million to startups for prototyping ideas as well as DHS’s involvement in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), which directs federal funds toward tech-focused startups so they can grow sustainably.
Since 2004, this program has distributed around $845 million across 500 companies according to this study. The Trump administration allocated SBIR funds recently towards tools allowing agents to collect biometric data from cellphones while using AI for analyzing airport CCTV footage automatically cataloging passengers’ physical traits.
DHS did not respond to a Guardian request for comment before publication.
The Guardian interviewed one of the report’s authors Paromita Shah – executive director of Just Futures Law – regarding the government’s growing reliance on surveillance technology. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What worries you most about this new influx of money?
I am concerned about an agency with little Congressional oversight receiving what essentially amounts to a slush fund. We’ve seen how much power CBP and ICE can wield with an influx of resources already – resulting in numerous civil rights violations happening on-site. We recognize they’re developing capabilities focused on invasive surveillance based on a new domestic terrorism memo aiming at monitoring individuals deemed anti-American by the US government.
One notable tool we’ve seen federal immigration agents utilize is Mobile Fortify’s facial recognition app. They’ve scanned thousands of faces belonging to immigrants as well as protesters. What concerns you most about their use of AI along with facial recognition?
DHS has publicly acknowledged it employs over ten AI-enabled facial recognition tools. Such street-level monitoring raises consent issues regarding whether warrants are acquired beforehand. How often have we witnessed ICE or CBP agents taking our photos without our knowledge? It appears DHS aims at creating a database including people who oppose their actions. [ICE has denied that it maintains “any kind of database of US citizens protesting ICE activities”.]
In your report you mention federal immigration agencies are not just acquiring tech but also supporting development/testing different instruments too. Why could this be problematic?
It showcases how circular this process is – plus it’s alarming because DHS seems indifferent toward violating rights; their priority lies solely within deploying tech regardless of consequences involved. There’s also an assumption surrounding their support going primarily towards smaller businesses but sometimes larger firms benefit too.
[The report notes that Anduril secured Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds back in 2020 despite being valued around $2 billion.]
Cline Investment Management
We hope conditions allow us all together soon!
[The report notes that Anduril secured Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds back in 2020 despite being valued around $2 billion.]
We hope conditions allow us all together soon!
