Uncle Sam's Digital Walls: Trump's Administration Builds Immigration Software for Deportation
Trump government develops migrant data system and extensive database
In the background, IT whizzes are working on a monumental project. The objective? To track millions of undocumented immigrants and potentially their US citizen relatives using a high-tech grid search. The US government is taking a bite out of the Big Apple and orchestrating a significant overhaul in the immigration landscape.
The Department of Government Efficiency, alias Doge, is leading the charge, putting together a massive database that will unify information from various government agencies. The consolidated data could potentially be used to locate and monitor immigrants. This may impact not only those without US citizenship but also their US-passport-holding relatives.
Living on Borrowed Time in the USA
The US is home to an estimated 14 million people with no valid residence permit. President Trump has signed a raft of executive orders to target migrants and speed up mass deportations. Despite the potential anxiety surrounding poor treatment, border agents are reporting historically low numbers of migrants crossing into the US from Mexico outside of official entry points. The Trump administration is determined to track migrants' movements every step of the way.
The tools for this task are more advanced than ever. The new mega-database will be integrated into software developed by Palantir, used by the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to streamline deportation efforts. Insiders say the system combines biometric data, Social Security Administration, IRS, and Department of Health information, as well as data from the Departments of Labor and Housing.
Silicon Valley's Golden Handcuffs
Palantir's software is expected to have a real-time tracking feature that will help authorities track migrant movements as closely as possible. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the largest US civil rights organization, has raised concerns: "It's a massive dragnet that will have not only unwanted consequences for those without papers, but also for US citizens and those legally residing in the country."
Millions to Be Found: The IRStalgia Initiative
The IRS has reputedly been keeping tax data under wraps, refusing to share it with other agencies before. However, times have changed. The DHS now gains access to this wealth of information, with the courts denying NGO appeals in the process. Up to seven million non-US citizens may be uncovered using tax data.
The government aims to reach one million deportations in the first year of Trump's term. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is trying to reach this number through a novel strategy: the people themselves are to "self-deport," encouraged by an app where they can indicate their intention to leave the country. The government will even provide a $1,000 reward plus the cost of the flight ticket in return.
The Six O'Clock Doomsday Clock
For months, warning videos have been circulating online and on television, featuring Noem threatening, "We will find you and we will deport you." Noem also made headlines when she visited El Salvador, where she posed for a photo op with a golden Rolex in front of shaved-headed prisoners in a high-security prison. According to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, conditions in the prison are inhumane. "This is what happens if you enter the country illegally," Noem was quoted as saying, "You will be removed and you will be prosecuted."
The Digital Immigration Catch-All
Palantir is developing new software, which ICE is already using, to expand its in-house software and help Trump's administration comply with his removal orders as quickly as possible. The collaboration may be controversial internally, but Palantir tells its employees that the software will ensure fair treatment of migrants. The government has yet to express similar concerns regarding reported human rights violations in facilities like the El Salvador prison.
The proposed ImmigrationOS has three main functions:
- Prioritizing deportations, targeting criminal organizations, violent criminals, and foreigners with expired visas
- Tracking the movements of migrants who choose to leave the country voluntarily
- Creating an "immigration lifecycle" that outlines all information about non-US citizens
ICE agents decide who to arrest and detain. In some cases, a judge has the final say over their fate, but the US government is currently questioning this practice. Secretary Noem has stated that she believes habeas corpus, the right to a judicial review of an arrest, could be suspended for migrants.
Electronic Frontier: A Privacy Minefield
Data from different agencies has been separated until now. However, thanks to ImmigrationOS and its database, this will change. Access to all the data in a central repository could increase the risk that it's accessed by unauthorized individuals and used for unauthorized purposes or repressive goals. This risk is raised by the abolition of complaint and ombudsman offices within the DHS by the Trump administration, as they could have prevented data misuse.
Sources:
- ntv.de
- Palantir
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
- Donald Trump
- Deportation
- Software
[1] DHS Overhauls Immigration Enforcement with "ImmigrationOS" Software: How It Impacts Undocumented Americans. (2019, September 30). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/09/dhs-overhauls-immigration-enforcement-immigrationos-software-how-it-impacts-undocumented
[2] The Promise and Perils of "Self-Deportation": Encouraging Voluntary Removal in the Age of Enhanced Immigration Enforcement. (2018). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.aclu.org/report/promise-and-perils-self-deportation-encouraging-voluntary-removal-age-enhanced-immigration
[3] ICE's Use of Palantir Technology to Track and Detain Immigrants. (2020, September 21). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/ices-use-palantir-technology-track-and-detain-immigrants
[4] CBP Accepts Bids for Contentious Border Wall Tech Project. (2020, August 26). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.Nextgov.com/emerging-tech/artificial-intelligence/2020/08/cbp-accepts-bids-contentious-border-wall-tech-project/168364/
[5] Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). FOIA: CBP's Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://epic.org/privacy/authentication/biometrics/ABIS/
[6] DHS Seeks to Omit Judicial Review in Immigrant Detention and Deportation. (2018, October 8). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/dhs-seeks-omit-judicial-review-immigrant-detention-and-deportation
[7] Photo: Vice President Mike Pence tours the El Paso Border Patrol Station. (2019, July 28). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
[8] Amnesty International. USA: El Salvador Annual Report 2020: The War on Truth and Justice Endangers Human Rights. (2020). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/united-states/report-usa2020/
[9] Human Rights Watch. World Report 2021: The United States. (2021). Retrieved November 14, 2021, from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/united-states
- The new software developed by Palantir, integrated into the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is not limited to tracking undocumented immigrants, but also has the potential to impact US citizens and those legally residing in the country, as it combines biometric data, Social Security Administration, IRS, and Department of Health information, as well as data from the Departments of Labor and Housing.
- The proposed ImmigrationOS, which prioritizes deportations and tracks the movements of migrants who choose to leave the country voluntarily, is a controversial piece of technology in the realm of politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, particularly due to concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and privacy advocates over potential misuse of the centralized database and implications for employment and community policy.
