U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to expand its ability to surveil social media by hiring nearly 30 private contractors to monitor posts and online activity that could lead to arrests and deportations.
The proposed program, first reported by WIRED, would station analysts at two of ICE’s targeting centers — including one in Williston, Vt. The other would be at Santa Ana, Calif.
Analysts may also be requested to search and find information about targets’ associates, family members, friends, or co-workers.
“The contractor will research and analyze data from commercial and law enforcement databases as well as other publicly accessible, open-source, and social media platforms to support investigations and aid in targeting individuals for arrest in furtherance of ICE law enforcement missions,” according to draft documents.
The multiyear surveillance program would be run by private vendors that monitor platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube for new leads for ICE agents to follow.
Documents were posted online for the department’s request for information from vendors, meaning the agency is still gauging interest from vendors before initiating an official bidding process.
The documents reveal that ICE wants a contractor to provide around-the-clock staffing for the two facilities, process cases on tight deadlines and supply the agency with the latest subscription-based surveillance software.
The National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, Vt., produces leads for the agency’s enforcement arm and handles cases across the Eastern part of the country.
Planning documents show ICE officials want a team of a dozen contractors, including a program manager and 10 analysts in Vermont.
The information sources that contractors would gather data could come from diverse sources: from posts, photos and messages on Facebook, Reddit and TikTok, to more powerful commercial databases such as LexisNexis Accurint and Thomson Reuters CLEAR — which collect property records, phone bills, and other personal details in searchable files.
ICE officials outlined deadlines for certain types of cases. For suspected national security threats or those on the most wanted list that are deemed urgent, turnaround times call for 30 minutes.
For high-priority cases, deadlines call for one hour and lower-priority to be completed the day of the request.
MassLive reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Monday.
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