US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering a radical new approach to tracking down undocumented immigrants: hiring private bounty hunters. Under this plan, contractors may receive cash rewards depending on how effectively they locate and report their targets.
The proposal involves bundling large amounts of information about 10,000 immigrants at a time, with further assignments provided in increments of 10,000 up to 1 million. Contractors will be given the task of confirming the home or work addresses of these individuals, using government-provided data, commercial data verification, and physical observation services.
To achieve this, ICE plans to use surveillance tools that track mobile phone location data, which are widely available on the private market. The agency is also considering awarding contracts to multiple vendors due to the large number of immigrants whose whereabouts it seeks to confirm.
Contractors will be expected to verify an alien's residence first, and if that fails, attempt to verify their place of employment. The process will involve both on-the-ground monitoring and digital surveillance, utilizing off-the-shelf technology such as enhanced location research and automated real-time skip tracing.
Monetary bonuses are expected to be paid out based on performance, with examples including a bonus for identifying an individual's correct address on the first try or finding 90 percent of its targets within a set timeframe. However, ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this proposal.
Critics have long argued that such a system would lead to the exploitation and mistreatment of undocumented immigrants. The plan has sparked concerns over privacy, surveillance, and accountability, particularly given ICE's history of enforcing strict immigration policies.
With millions of people living in the United States without documentation, the potential for abuses of power is substantial. It remains to be seen whether Congress will act to prevent such a system from being implemented.
The proposal involves bundling large amounts of information about 10,000 immigrants at a time, with further assignments provided in increments of 10,000 up to 1 million. Contractors will be given the task of confirming the home or work addresses of these individuals, using government-provided data, commercial data verification, and physical observation services.
To achieve this, ICE plans to use surveillance tools that track mobile phone location data, which are widely available on the private market. The agency is also considering awarding contracts to multiple vendors due to the large number of immigrants whose whereabouts it seeks to confirm.
Contractors will be expected to verify an alien's residence first, and if that fails, attempt to verify their place of employment. The process will involve both on-the-ground monitoring and digital surveillance, utilizing off-the-shelf technology such as enhanced location research and automated real-time skip tracing.
Monetary bonuses are expected to be paid out based on performance, with examples including a bonus for identifying an individual's correct address on the first try or finding 90 percent of its targets within a set timeframe. However, ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this proposal.
Critics have long argued that such a system would lead to the exploitation and mistreatment of undocumented immigrants. The plan has sparked concerns over privacy, surveillance, and accountability, particularly given ICE's history of enforcing strict immigration policies.
With millions of people living in the United States without documentation, the potential for abuses of power is substantial. It remains to be seen whether Congress will act to prevent such a system from being implemented.
This is a whole different level of crazy. Bounty hunters? Really? They're gonna be paid cash to chase down people like they're fugitives or something 
. And what's with all the surveillance tools? Like, we already have enough Big Brother going on in this country. Next thing you know, they'll be tracking our every move too 
.
.
This idea of hiring private bounty hunters sounds super sketchy 
It's all about accountability and making sure we're treating people with dignity, you know? 
And what about the tech used to track people's movements? That's just so invasive 
. I don't think it's a good idea to let private companies get their hands on that kind of info. We gotta make sure our data stays safe and secure 
. The fact that they're offering cash rewards for finding people just raises more red flags 
.
. I mean imagine having your whole life info out there for anyone to use... it's like something straight outta a sci-fi movie 
. And the idea of cash rewards for finding people? it's just so wrong 
. what if these bounty hunters get it twisted and start causing real harm instead of helping out? 
and have you seen those surveillance tools they're planning to use? it's like they want to invade our private lives 
... I don't think this is a good idea at all 
. Like, what's next? Using facial recognition tech on innocent people just because they don't have papers? And those bounty hunters? They'll be like modern-day vigilantes, taking it upon themselves to track down and 'report' undocumented immigrants. No thanks! We already know how that turns into human rights abuses... 
This plan reeks of racism and xenophobia. We need to get our voices heard and stop this before it becomes a total disaster! 
. It's like somethin' outta a bad movie or somethin'. What's next? Have 'em track us down with drones or somethin'? 
And what about that data collection stuff? I mean, we already got enough issues with big corps keepin' our info on 'em... now they wanna give it to some contractors? 
It's like we're livin' in a total surveillance state, and I'm not sure I'm cool with that 
. And the pay for gettin' people caught? That just seems like a recipe for abuse of power to me... all about makin' a quick buck off people who don't have much to lose already