A terrifying new report has pulled back the curtain on the rapid, unprecedented expansion of the US government's immigration surveillance dragnet. Released by Mijente, Just Futures Law, and the Surveillance Resistance Lab, the investigation details how federal spending on predatory artificial intelligence and invasive tracking tools has reached historic heights during Donald Trump’s second term. The findings paint a dark picture of a militarized surveillance-industrial complex that treats human lives as mere data points to be harvested, cataloged, and weaponized.

The heart of the report lies in its analysis of federal procurement data involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Looking closely at contracts with 11 tech corporations, researchers discovered that funding for these digital surveillance operations doubled between 2024 and 2025, climbing to just over $310 million. By 2026, under the current administration, that figure exploded to a record-breaking $513 million. This massive transfer of public wealth to private corporations represents a staggering escalation of the digital war on immigrant communities.

This aggressive ramp-up is the culmination of a decade-long trend that has systematically prioritized state surveillance over human dignity. In 2013, federal contract spending on these 11 surveillance firms hovered under $50 million. Over the last two years, however, spending has reached a fever pitch, transforming ICE into the single best-funded law enforcement agency in the United States. Armed with an virtually bottomless budget, federal immigration authorities are building a high-tech panopticon that extends far beyond physical border walls into the digital lives of millions.

The primary beneficiaries of this corporate welfare are Palantir and Anduril—two tech giants that have become central to the state's deportation machinery. Palantir, a controversial data analytics firm, provides the core software that integrates massive databases to help agents track down and detain immigrants. Meanwhile, Anduril, a defense company focused on autonomous military technology, has secured massive contracts to install AI-powered surveillance networks, high-tech border towers, drones, and sensors, effectively turning the borderlands into a high-tech war zone.

According to the report, ICE is using taxpayer funds to construct a sprawling arsenal of digital weapons. This includes contracts with private data brokers, social media scrapers, facial recognition systems, and phone-hacking spyware designed to break into personal mobile devices. The study's authors warn that the government is increasingly relying on private contractors who operate essentially as digital 'bounty hunters,' utilizing predatory technology to stalk, locate, and capture vulnerable people.