- Software firm Palantir secures an almost $30 million contract with ICE
- The firm will help the agency find physical locations and track logistics
- Palantir has worked with ICE since 2014, and holds multiple military partnerships
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $29.9 million contract to software firm Palantir to build a software system to quickly enforce the Trump administration’s deportation targets, 404 Media reports.
Leaked messages show Palantir’s role includes finding the “physical location of people who are marked for deportation” and “producing leads for law enforcement to find people to deport and keeping track of the logistics of Trump’s mass deportation effort.”
No other bids were heard by the department, as Palantir is the only vendor able to deliver the system on such a quick turnaround (September 25), the department argues.
Expected backlash
Palantir chairman Peter Thiel was an early backer of Trump, and the company already holds several defense contracts, and has worked in partnership with ICE since 2014.
The software firm also works in partnership with the US and Israeli militaries, and took over the Pentagon’s Project Maven contract – using machine learning for unmanned drones and weapons systems – after Google decided not to pursue the development following petitions and resignations from staff.
Trump’s denial of due process to deportees, expulsion of legal residents, and evasion of court orders has garnered serious backlash, with civil rights organizations calling on tech companies to end their relationships with the administration and law enforcement agencies.
This backlash led Ted Mabrey, Palantir’s global head of commercial to write on Twitter that new tech workers joining in the wake of Palantir’s contract to “expect to weather attacks like this all the time; from all sides of the political aisle,” adding that, “the only way to counter these bullies is not to argue but to build.”
TechRadar Pro reached out to both Palantir and ICE for insight into any protections for legal residents and law-abiding citizens, but we have not yet received a response.
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