Representatives Delia Ramirez and Hank Johnnson, both members of US Congress, held a shadow hearing on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) use of technology on July 15.
Witnesses at the hearing detailed how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building an increasingly vast network of interconnected data collection and processing systems. ICE reportedly relies on surveillance platforms, facial recognition tools, iris scanners, and spyware—all developed by private companies—to identify and track individuals and cross-reference with sensitive data held in federal, state, and commercial databases.
Witnesses expressed concern that this data would then be used to profile and intimidate people in ways that chill protest, limit access to essential services, and undermine rights to privacy, nondiscrimination, due process, and free expression.
Human Rights Watch documented surveillance of observers and protesters by ICE agents during immigration operations in Minnesota in December 2025 and January 2026. This research included cases of agents driving to observers’ own homes, raising serious concerns about intimidation and how ICE agents seemingly have access to observers’ addresses and other personal data. Journalists reported ICE agents appearing to scan Minnesota residents’ faces with Mobile Fortify, a DHS application that reportedly compares face and fingerprint scans against data held on government databases.
ICE’s use of surveillance technology and their expanded access to personal data could increase the agency’s ability to identify and monitor specific individuals, risking further instances of wrongful targeting, racial profiling, and family separation across immigrant communities. It could also lead to privacy rights violations.
Congress has dramatically expanded funding for immigration enforcement in recent weeks. These additional resources for ICE risk continued or expanded use of surveillance and profiling technology without safeguards or redress.
As ICE increasingly uses technology for surveillance and profiling, Congress should play a critical role to ensure that there are protections and safeguards in place to try to limit further abuse.
Congress should ensure rights-compliant use of technology by federal agencies, including by requiring that any use of surveillance technology comply with international human rights law and standards. Congress should also adopt a strong federal data protection law and update federal privacy law to regulate government agencies’ and private companies’ collection, analysis, and sharing of personal data.
