For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Condemns $12M ICE AI Surveillance Contract
(New York, NY 4/15/2026) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns a $12M contract between ICE and Edge Ops LLC for “Project SAFE HAVEN,” a real-time, AI-driven surveillance tool to map immigrants’ “patterns of life.” The contract, made public by federal procurement records released earlier this week, includes real-time location tracking, mapping of daily routines and so-called “behavioral patterns.” The software builds “target profiles” through data accessed via Wi-Fi connections, cell phones and other smart devices.
SEE: Jacobin - ICE Just Signed a $12 Million Deal to Track Migrants With AI
https://jacobin.com/2026/04/ice-contract-ai-surveillance-immigrants
The Lever - Inside ICE’s $12 Million Plan To Map Immigrants’ “Patterns Of Life”
https://www.levernews.com/inside-ices-12-million-plan-to-map-immigrants-patterns-of-life/
Procurement Records - April 2026 Project SAFE HAVEN Statement of Work
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28043517-april-2026-project-safe-haven-statement-of-work/?ref=levernews.com
“ICE’s so-called Project SAFE HAVEN is a danger to everyone,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Michelle Dahl. “ICE is spending all it can in its slush fund to build a perpetual state of surveillance, terrorizing immigrants going about their daily routines. This technology also gives ICE yet another backdoor to target protesters, observers, and anyone calling out the agency’s cruelty online. No one should ever have to fear logging onto a Wi-Fi network will suddenly let ICE track their every move.”
Earlier this year, S.T.O.P. condemned a $4.5M contract between ICE and BI2 Technologies for iris scanning software for use by officers in the field on their smartphones. In June, the civil rights group condemned ICE’s use of the Mobile Fortify App, a new contactless, real-time facial and fingerprint recognition app that identifies people by pointing a smartphone camera at their face or fingers.
SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns ICE Real-Time Facial Recognition App
https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/w56ekin5fqg04ifnk0dcatkci52ucs?rq=ICE
Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns ICE Real-Time Facial Recognition App
https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/wcc8s6dt4ecw75w-srjpf-fmhk9-xgl37?rq=ICE
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.
--END--
|
|
|
|
|
