Data Loopholes Help ICE Target Undocumented Immigrants
Immigration authorities have tapped a network of private technology companies to obtain “real time” information about incarcerations and jail bookings and enabling them to pick up immigrants targeted for deportation.
Landwebs
Immigration authorities have tapped a network of private technology companies to obtain “real time” information about incarcerations and jail bookings and enabling them to pick up immigrants targeted for deportation. The data access helps Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to skirt cities’ and states’ sanctuary policies, and bypass restrictions on information local law enforcement departments can exchange with immigration authorities, reports The Guardian.
The practice, unearthed in documents obtained by a group of immigrant advocacy groups, show that ICE has contracted with Lexis Nexis and Equifax, data brokers that collect, access and then sell personal and criminal justice information. In February 2021, ICE agreed to pay Lexis Nexis more than $17m to access its real-time “virtual crime” platform Accurint, which allows law enforcement officers to receive jail booking alerts on individuals, paired with their personal information including phone records, vehicle registration and court and property records.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24430706/elon_musk_twitter_for_you.png)
