Overview

• A new ICE contracting notice seeks roughly 30 contractors to conduct open-source investigations with a heavy focus on social media to generate enforcement leads.
• Solicitation documents list Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit and YouTube as targets, and even reference Google+ or Currents despite those services being shut down.
• The proposed operation would be based at ICE centers in Williston, Vermont and Santa Ana, California, with a potential timeline extending to 2031 if formalized.
• Federal records indicate the effort may incorporate AI and would build on ICE’s existing vendor infrastructure, including its Palantir-managed database and a Paragon contract.
• ICE did not answer reporters’ questions about the plan, and prior solicitations to analyze social-media sentiment have fueled concerns that U.S. citizens and protesters could be swept in.