LexisNexis Legal and Public Data Databases

ICE's Use: For years, ICE has used LexisNexis's legal and public records data broker to support its investigations.

Accurint Virtual Crime Center Tool: In 2022, two non-profit organizations obtained documents via Freedom of Information Act requests, which revealed that ICE conducted over 1.2 million searches over seven months using a tool called Accurint Virtual Crime Center. The Accurint Virtual Crime Center is a sophisticated data analytics and sharing platform from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, specifically designed for law enforcement agencies. This tool acts as a virtual command center, gathering data from over 10,000 different sources, including national police agencies and public records, to provide intelligence insights that aid in operational decision-making. ICE used this tool to verify the background information of immigrants, enabling them to better target investigations, generate new leads, and solve crimes more quickly.

Mass Surveillance Program: A year later, The Intercept revealed that ICE was using LexisNexis to uncover suspicious activity and investigate immigrants even before they committed a crime, a program one critic described as enabling "mass surveillance." According to public records, LexisNexis currently provides ICE with a "subscription to the Law Enforcement Investigations Database (LEIDS) which allows access to public records and commercial data to support criminal investigations." This year, ICE paid $4.7 million to subscribe to this service.

LexisNexis Statement: Jennifer Richman, a spokesperson for LexisNexis, told TechCrunch that ICE has used the company's " data and analytics solutions for decades, across multiple administrations." Richman added, "Our commitment is to support the responsible and ethical use of data, in full compliance with laws and regulations, and to protect all U.S. residents," noting that LexisNexis "partners with over 7,500 federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies across the U.S. to enhance public safety and security." To learn more about Accurint Virtual Crime Center, you can visit the official product page.

Surveillance Giant Palantir

Palantir's Contracts with ICE: The giant technology, data analytics and surveillance company Palantir signed several contracts with ICE last year. The largest contract, valued at $18.5 million from September 2024, is for a data database system called "Investigative Case Management" (ICM). The ICM contract dates back to 2022, when Palantir signed a $95.9 million deal. The company's relationship with ICE, founded by Peter Thiel, dates back to the early 2010s.

Details of the ICM Database Operation: Earlier this year, 404 Media, which extensively covered the technology powering Trump's deportation efforts, specifically Palantir's relationship with ICE, revealed details of how the ICM data database works. The tech news site reported seeing a recent version of the database, which allows ICE to filter individuals based on their immigration status, physical characteristics, criminal affiliation, location data, and more.

Database Capabilities: 404 Media cited a "source familiar with the database" who said it consists of "tables upon tables" of data and can build reports showing, for example, people with a specific visa type who entered the country through a particular port of entry, who came from a certain country, and who have a specific hair color (or any number of hundreds of data points).

ImmigrationOS and Palantir's Justification: This tool, and Palantir's relationship with ICE, were so controversial that sources within the company leaked an internal document to 404 Media justifying Palantir's work with ICE in the Trump administration. Palantir is also developing a tool called "ImmigrationOS" (Immigration Operating System), according to a $30 million contract revealed by Business Insider. ImmigrationOS is reportedly designed to streamline "the selection and arrest processes of undocumented aliens," provide "near-instant visibility" into self-deportation operations, and track individuals who have overstayed their visas, according to a document first published by Wired.