ICE Expense and Corruption
Under President Donald Trump, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became a powerful and controversial tool of his administration’s crackdown on immigrants, often operating with impunity, staggering expense, and little oversight. ICE agents have unlawfully detained immigrants, including legal residents and American citizens, some of whom were battling serious illnesses such as cancer. In several cases, individuals have been sent to foreign or domestic prisons, or had their government identification records deleted entirely. Adding to the fear, bad actors have impersonated ICE officers, taking advantage of the agency’s lack of transparency, as many agents do not display badge numbers or show their faces. This has left vulnerable communities feeling unsafe and unprotected. Here we highlight the devastating human cost of these policies, featuring stories of those disappeared by ICE and the communities left in fear. Included here are resources to track and respond to ICE activity: a community-powered app to report ICE sightings in real time, an interactive map documenting disappearances, and a publicly available list of known ICE agents.
Trump staffed his businesses with illegal immigrants and foreign workers
An investigation during Trump's first term found that Trump advised immigrants on how to obtain fake documents.
While President Donald Trump has publicly condemned undocumented immigration and ordered mass deportations through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a Washington Post investigation revealed that his own businesses have continued to employ undocumented workers. A group of Latin American laborers, many without legal status, have worked for years performing masonry and maintenance at Trump’s golf courses and winery. Some former workers say supervisors at the Trump Organization were aware of their status and even advised them on obtaining fake documents. Despite Eric Trump’s 2019 promise to implement E-Verify and terminate undocumented employees, current and former workers reported that no meaningful changes occurred. One former employee remarked, “If you’re a good worker, papers don’t matter,” underscoring the apparent contradiction between Trump’s public stance and private business practices.
These workers were underpaid
These workers were paid relatively low wages, around $19 to $21 per hour without benefits, which saved the Trump Organization money, particularly during a tight labor market. Experts point out that by employing undocumented laborers, businesses like Trump’s contribute to the very immigration patterns the administration claims to oppose. The story highlights a central hypocrisy: while ICE agents raided workplaces across the country and detained hundreds in high-profile operations, Trump’s own operations quietly relied on the same type of labor. This dual reality raises questions about the sincerity of Trump’s immigration agenda and suggests that political rhetoric around “illegal immigration” may serve partisan goals more than policy consistency.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, blew through the ICE budget already.
Despite deporting fewer people than President Biden did last year, Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is already an estimated $1 billion over budget under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with months left in the fiscal year. According to Axios, ICE’s rapid spending stems from Trump’s escalating immigration crackdown, which he intensified Sunday by ordering “the largest Mass Deportation Program in History”—explicitly targeting Democratic-led cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) called the overspending “patently illegal,” though experts suggest the administration may invoke emergency powers or a “life and safety” exemption to bypass budget constraints. Trump’s rhetoric continues to frame undocumented immigrants as a threat to jobs and elections, while falsely accusing Democrats of enabling voter fraud and destabilizing inner cities.
The Trump administration put limits on congress visits to immigration centers
In June 2025, the Trump administration imposed new restrictions on members of Congress seeking to visit ICE field offices and detention centers, despite federal laws guaranteeing lawmakers access for oversight. Under updated DHS guidelines, ICE now claims the authority to deny, cancel, or reschedule congressional visits at its sole discretion, even though such facilities often house detained immigrants. While the law requires no advance notice for members themselves, ICE is now requesting 72 hours’ notice and asserts the power to block visits for any reason. These restrictions follow several high-profile incidents in which Democratic lawmakers and officials—including Rep. LaMonica McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander—were denied access or even arrested during oversight attempts. The moves come amid President Trump’s push for mass deportations and increased scrutiny of immigrants, including legal students with pro-Palestinian views.
Stephen Miller imposed an aggressive arrest quote on ICE agents
Prioritize numbers, not criminal records
Stephen Miller, Donald Trump's senior immigration advisor, has imposed an aggressive arrest quota on ICE agents that prioritizes sheer numbers over targeting individuals with criminal records. In May 2025, Miller berated ICE’s top field officers, demanding they ramp up arrests dramatically, questioning why agents weren’t detaining people at places like Home Depot and 7-Eleven. He dismissed ICE leadership's traditional focus on criminals, insisting instead that all undocumented immigrants—regardless of criminal history—be pursued. Following his orders, ICE was directed to increase daily arrests from a few hundred to between 1,200 and 1,500, with an internal Trump administration goal of deporting one million people within a year. Miller later told Fox News the goal was 3,000 arrests per day.
This Policy led to large-scale raids
This policy shift directly led to large-scale raids, including a high-profile arrest operation at a Home Depot in Los Angeles that triggered widespread protests and a militarized response, with Trump deploying 2,000 National Guard troops. The arrests and public backlash underscored how Miller’s enforcement quota deprioritized serious criminal threats and instead targeted day laborers, long-time residents, and low-risk individuals, escalating tensions and legal challenges from local officials.
Peter Thiel's company, Palantir, is working with ICE
Palantir Provides Critical Software Systems
Palantir Technologies has been a significant contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), providing critical software systems that support immigration enforcement operations. The company's Investigative Case Management (ICM) system, developed for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), consolidates data from various sources, including biometric identifiers, social media profiles, and license plate readers, to create detailed profiles of individuals. This system has been instrumental in tracking and targeting individuals for deportation, including during operations that led to family separations.
This Policy led to large-scale raids
In addition to ICM, Palantir has developed the Immigration Lifecycle Operating System (ImmigrationOS), a $30 million platform designed to enhance ICE's capabilities in deportation logistics. ImmigrationOS offers "near real-time visibility" into individuals who have self-deported and assists in identifying and prioritizing targets for removal, focusing on visa overstays and individuals with final orders of removal.
Potential for Mass Surveillance
Palantir's involvement with ICE has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and immigrant rights groups, who express concerns about the potential for mass surveillance and the erosion of civil liberties. Despite these concerns, Palantir continues to play a pivotal role in ICE's immigration enforcement strategies, reflecting a deepening relationship between the tech company and federal immigration authorities.
Stephen Miller has stock in ICE contractor Palantir
Stephen Miller, President Trump's chief immigration policy architect and deputy chief of staff, owns between $100,001 and $250,000 in stock in Palantir, a controversial tech company that provides data services to ICE and other federal agencies. This financial stake, revealed in recently released White House disclosures, has raised significant conflict-of-interest concerns, especially given Miller’s direct involvement in shaping ICE policies that benefit Palantir. Ethics experts warn that Miller’s influence over immigration enforcement, coupled with his financial ties, could allow him to shape policy in ways that personally enrich him. While other Trump officials also hold Palantir shares, Miller’s is the largest reported. Palantir, a company long criticized for its role in surveillance and deportation operations, has seen a surge in federal revenue and stock performance, partly due to no-bid ICE contracts. Although the White House claims Miller will recuse himself from related decisions, the ownership is legally treated as his even though the stock is held in an account for his child. The situation has fueled bipartisan concern over Palantir’s growing access to government data and potential abuse of power, with critics warning that the aggregation of federal datasets could lead to a de facto “digital ID” system.
ICE is potentially removing people with Hispanic last names from databases (still under research)
In June 2025, a viral TikTok video sparked claims that ICE was erasing people with Hispanic last names from government databases. The TikTok user described a traffic stop where officers allegedly could not find him in any system despite being given his ID and Social Security number, with one officer reportedly blaming ICE and saying he was “removed from everything.” Although the video gained widespread attention and fueled similar claims across social media, Snopes could not independently verify the incident, and ICE did not respond to inquiries. The user declined to provide identifying details, citing safety concerns. Experts noted that while ICE can access some state driver data, it has no authority to delete individuals from state databases. Nonetheless, past reports have shown ICE using facial recognition and requesting personal information from state motor-vehicle agencies. Due to the lack of verifiable evidence, Snopes left the claim unrated.
ICE is erasing people with Hispanic and Mexican last names from data bases. A man with a Hispanic last name was stopped and showed his ID and Officers could find no record of him even under his Social Security number! The Officers knew it had to do with ICE! 😡 pic.twitter.com/iiD4UQxJES
— Suzie rizzio (@Suzierizzo1) June 25, 2025
Masked ICE agents were spotted changing licence plates in Bell Gardens, CA
In a recently circulated video from Bell Gardens, California, ICE agents were captured swapping out license plates on a vehicle—an action that potentially constitutes a crime under state law. In California, altering or covering a license plate in a way that impairs its original markings is explicitly prohibited by Vehicle Code § 4464, which states that “A person shall not display upon a vehicle a license plate that is altered from its original markings”. The footage raises serious legal and ethical concerns about ICE's conduct and compliance with state regulations.
Some ICE are deputized corrections officers.
Under the Trump administration, immigration enforcement has intensified, with a shift toward a “whole-of-government” approach. To address the strain on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has just 6,000 deportation agents overseeing more than 7.6 million undocumented immigrants, federal agents from agencies like the DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, and Bureau of Prisons are being deputized to assist. However, these agents often lack immigration-specific training, raising concerns about inter-agency tensions, civil rights violations, and legal liability. Experts warn that mistakes could result in lawsuits, disciplinary actions, or even criminal charges. In response, FEDS Protection is promoting its professional liability insurance (PLI) to help protect federal agents from personal financial and legal exposure related to these new duties.