Trump Admin Lifts Hold on $2M ICE Spyware Contract

story

SEP 3

Above: An agent from U.S. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit searches a vehicle in Washington. Image copyright: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

story last updated SEP 4

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Renewing this contract gives ICE a necessary tool for legitimate law enforcement operations against serious criminals and national security threats. Paragon has positioned itself as an ethical spyware company that only works with democracies and it maintains strict policies against targeting civil society members. The company's acquisition by American firms and integration with U.S. cyber intelligence operations addresses previous counterintelligence concerns.

Haaretz Paragonsolutions

Establishment-critical narrative

This development signals a dangerous erosion of civil liberties protections during ICE's unprecedented immigration crackdown. Spyware like Graphite poses profound threats to free speech and privacy, having already been misused against journalists and activists. The quiet lifting of safeguards without proper vetting raises serious concerns about executive branch accountability and the potential for unlawful surveillance of Americans and vulnerable immigrant communities.

Knight First Amendment Institute

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 15% chance that there will be at least twice as many deportations by U.S. ICE in fiscal year 2025 compared with fiscal year 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Editor's note

This story currently has limited reporting from right-leaning sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.