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2d ago

House Democrats Demand DHS Disclose ICE Spyware Plans, Set Oct. 14 Deadline

The request follows the August reinstatement of ICE’s $2 million Paragon contract after reports tied Graphite to covert attacks on journalists.

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Democratic Rep. Summer Lee speaks during a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 21, 2024.

Overview

  • Reps. Summer Lee, Shontel Brown, and Yassamin Ansari sent DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a letter seeking records on any ICE deployment of Paragon’s Graphite spyware.
  • The lawmakers requested a comprehensive list of surveillance targets, ICE’s domestic deployment strategy, and legal analyses of compliance with federal policy, with responses due Oct. 14.
  • They cited Supreme Court rulings on digital privacy and warned the tool could be used to monitor immigrants, people of color, and dissenters.
  • Procurement filings show a stop‑work order on the roughly $2 million deal was lifted in August after a 2023 pause triggered by an executive order restricting government use of commercial spyware.
  • DHS and ICE did not provide comment, and 404 Media is suing to obtain contract details as researchers and WhatsApp have documented suspected Graphite operations.