S.T.O.P. Condemns Escalating Federal, Police Surveillance Of LA Protests

The civil rights group condemned the escalating federal and police surveillance of protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids across the city.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Escalating Federal, Police Surveillance Of LA Protests (New York, NY, 6/12/2025) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the escalating federal and police surveillance of protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids across the city. Reporting from 404 Media shared that federal immigration enforcement have flown Predator drones, Black Hawk helicopters, and other military aircraft typically deployed in warzones overseas above the protests. LAPD have also deployed aerial surveillance and implicitly threatened to use facial recognition to track down protesters. Privacy advocates have warned against LAPD’s potential use of Ring doorbell footage, social media monitoring, and other invasive spyware to further stifle dissent. SEE: 404 Media - DHS Black Hawks and Military Aircraft Surveil the LA Protests https://www.404media.co/dhs-black-hawks-and-military-aircraft-surveil-the-la-protests/ 404 Media - CBP Confirms It Is Flying Predator Drones Above Los Angeles To Support ICE https://www.404media.co/cbp-confirms-it-is-flying-predator-drones-above-los-angeles-to-support-ice/ Biometric Update - Police, federal video surveillance of anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles raise alarms https://www.biometricupdate.com/202506/police-federal-video-surveillance-of-anti-ice-protests-in-los-angeles-raise-alarms “This is authoritarianism, plain and simple,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “Federal immigration authorities are using military-grade spyware to chill Angelenos’ constitutional right to protest, with the help of LAPD’s own sweeping surveillance capabilities. Trump is using Los Angeles, one of the nation’s longstanding centers of immigration, as an example, but his authoritarianism will not stop there. To protect immigrant communities and our democratic rights, cities and states across the country must act to block surveillance data sharing between local police and ICE.” S.T.O.P. is an advocate of the New York For All Act, which would prohibit New York’s state and local government agencies from colluding with ICE, disclosing data, and diverting resources to further federal immigration enforcement. In November, S.T.O.P. released Deportation Data Centers: How Fusion Centers Circumvent Sanctuary City Laws, a report detailing how Department Of Homeland Security-backed fusion centers drive deportation by enabling ICE to coopt local police data. In 2022, the civil rights group condemned NYPD’s announcement that it would join Amazon Ring’s Neighbors App, warning the public-private surveillance partnership would promote vigilantism, racial profiling, and police violence SEE: New York State Senate - Bill S987 https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S987 Press Release - S.T.O.P. Report Details Local Police Deportation Data Partnerships With ICE https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2024/11/19/stop-report-details-local-police-deportation-data-partnerships-with-ice?rq=deportation%20data Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns NYPD Plan To Join Amazon Ring’s ‘Neighbors’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/11/2/stop-condemns-nypd-plan-to-join-amazon-rings-neighbors?rq=amazon%20ring 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 -- Copyright © 2025 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.