For Immediate Release
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S.T.O.P. Condemns ICE Plan To Purchase Robot Dogs
(NEW YORK, NY, 9/4/2026) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemns a federal procurement notice showing that ICE seeks to spend up to $2 million on Boston Dynamics "SPOT" robot dogs. Robot dogs deployed by ICE would come equipped with 360-degree cameras and the ability to open doors. S.T.O.P. warned ICE’s use of robot dogs with enhanced capabilities will exacerbate the agency’s warrantless home entries, workplace raids, aggressive street operations, and surveillance of protesters.
SEE: ABC News – ICE plans to purchase robot dogs
https://abcnews.com/Politics/ice-plans-purchase-robot-dogs/story?id=136039320
“The last thing ICE needs is a camera-equipped canine that can open doors,” said S.T.O.P. Communications Director Will Owen. “The Trump administration has given ICE an unprecedented slush fund for new spyware, terrorizing immigrant communities, protesters, and observers. Congress must step in and put ICE’s spending on a leash.”
SEE: S.T.O.P. Blog - At 250, America is more surveilled than ever
https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/at-250-america-is-more-surveilled-than-ever
MS Now - ICE to acquire robot dogs as another tool in Trump’s immigration crusade
https://www.ms.now/opinion/ice-robot-dogs-digidogs-civil-rights-surveillance-trump-immigration
S.T.O.P. has long warned against the use of robot dogs by law enforcement. In 2021, the civil rights group renewed its condemnation of the NYPD's use of Boston Robotics dogs. When NYPD's "Digidog" returned to the streets of New York in 2023, then-Executive Director of S.T.O.P., Albert Fox Cahn, told PBS NewsHour that the NYPD was "turning bad science fiction into terrible policing."
SEE: S.T.O.P. – S.T.O.P. Renews Condemnation Of NYPD Robot Dog https://www.stopspying.org/content-input/2021/4/14/stop-renews-condemnation-of-nypd-robot-dog
PBS NewsHour – Robotic police dog 'Digidog' rejoins NYPD https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/robotic-police-dog-digidog-rejoins-nypd
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.
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