WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi raised sharp concerns this week about a controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plan that would allow private contractors to track undocumented immigrants in exchange for financial bonuses.
In a letter sent Wednesday, Oct. 10, to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Krishnamoorthi questioned the legality, ethics and long-term consequences of ICE outsourcing surveillance and enforcement duties to private entities. The full letter is available through his official House website.
ICE’s plan relies heavily on constant surveillance, requiring contractors to use “skip-tracing” services capable of identifying undocumented immigrants’ home addresses and occupations. In exchange, ICE would award additional compensation based on how effectively contractors located each person.
ICE also states that contractors will be given information on 10,000 immigrants at a time.
Krishnamoorthi warned that the plan could fundamentally reshape public trust in government.
“Allowing private contractors to perform enforcement activities under a system of performance-based financial incentives, essentially bounty hunting, outsourced one of the government’s most coercive powers to actors who operate with little oversight and limited public accountability,” Krishnamoorthi wrote.
“These contractors are not subject to the same scrutiny, discipline or transparency that restrains federal officers, and entrusting them with powers of investigation and surveillance risks creating an enforcement apparatus that functions beyond the reach of ordinary checks and balances.”
He also questioned whether the plan would expand surveillance beyond undocumented immigrants, asking the DHS, “Will these contractors have access to personal or location data for all immigrants, or potentially for all Americans?” and “If a contractor locates an individual, will they be authorized, or incentivized, to physically confront, detain, arrest or pursue that person?”
“When governments blur the line between official authority and private surveillance, societies inevitably pay a steep price in lost trust and personal freedom,” Krishnamoorthi said. “When citizens can no longer discern who acts in the name of government, trust gives way to fear.”
While ICE did not directly address Krishnamoorthi’s objections, the agency issued a statement clarifying that the effort remains preliminary.
“This RFI [Request for Information] is issued solely for information and planning purposes, it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), or a promise to issue an RFP in the future,” ICE stated. “As part of its market research, ICE is issuing this RFI to determine the estimated number of interested vendors capable of meeting this requirement.”
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