A leaked document obtained by 404 Media lays out a broad menu of ICE surveillance tools available across the agency, including smartphone location data, facial recognition services, undercover online tools, social media monitoring, and vehicle tracking.
The document, posted as a PDF, appears to have been generated in 2024 and lists analytical tools accessible to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. 404 Media cautioned that the list may not be current. The document does not include newer DHS mobile tools identified as ELITE and ImmigrationOS, and some listed services may have been replaced, retired, or dropped.
Even with that caveat, the file gives a rare look at the databases and commercial services available to immigration enforcement officers. The point is not one exotic hacking tool. It is the stack: data brokers, facial recognition, insurance records, plate-reader feeds, web identity services, complaint databases, and social media resources sitting close enough to be requested through internal contacts.
What surveillance tools does ICE have access to?
According to 404 Media and the document it obtained, ICE personnel have access to tools that can identify people, follow movements, research online activity, and support undercover approaches. The document describes capabilities rather than a single system, which is why the list matters: different datasets can be combined into a fuller profile of a person, vehicle, address, or online account.
- Smartphone-derived location data, which can be used to infer where a device has been.
- Facial recognition services, including Clearview AI, listed as available under access controls.
- License plate and location data from Vigilant Solutions and its partners.
- Social media monitoring and tools for anonymous or undercover online activity.
- Vehicle and insurance-claim information through ISO ClaimSearch.
- Website ownership and geolocation-related research through a service called Insight.
- The Federal Trade Commission’s customer complaint database.
- The Anti-Defamation League’s Hate Symbols Database.
License plate reader databases collect plate scans with time and place information, then make those records searchable. That can turn routine vehicle sightings into a movement history when enough cameras and partner feeds are involved.
The document lists ISO ClaimSearch as containing property and casualty insurance claims, along with vehicle information. It also names Vigilant Solutions, a company tied to nationwide license plate recognition data shared through partners.
Clearview AI appears in the document as a facial recognition option. The line item says access is controlled by “CIEU,” but the acronym is not defined in the document. It also says access is granted under “specific circumstances,” without explaining what those circumstances are. One listed contact for access corresponds to a DHS official, according to the account cited by Techdirt.
The FTC complaint database is another odd entry. Members of the public can request FTC complaint information, but the agency redacts complainants’ personal details in public releases. The document does not say what redactions, if any, apply when ICE or CBP seek access.
Insight is described as similar to WHOIS, the lookup system used to identify domain registration data, but with added geolocation information and a claimed ability to get around privacy registrars. Privacy registrars are services that mask a domain owner’s public contact details, so any tool claiming to bypass them deserves scrutiny before anyone treats it as routine paperwork.
The leaked list is also incomplete by design. It shows named tools and access points, not how often agents use them, what audits apply, or whether local agencies are used to reach data that would be harder for federal officials to obtain directly. 404 Media’s document answers one question clearly: ICE and CBP have had a lot more than badges and databases at their fingertips.
This story draws on original reporting from Techdirt.
