Federal officials told faith leaders gathered outside the Broadview ICE detention center in Illinois that ’there is no more prayer in front of building or inside the building because this is the state and it’s not [of a] religious background.’ The directive marked the third time …
On November 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis issued a devastating preliminary injunction against Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and federal immigration enforcement agents in Chicago, explicitly finding that Bovino “admitted that he lied” about the October 23, 2025 tear gas …
Pope Leo XIV issued a direct challenge to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on November 4, 2025, calling on ICE authorities to allow pastoral workers and clergy to minister to detained migrants. Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence, Pope Leo XIV stated he “would …
In November 2025, the Department of Homeland Security released the “Mobile Identify” facial recognition app on Google’s app store, making it available to state and local law enforcement agencies deputized to work with ICE. The Trump Tyranny Tracker reported on November 4 that the …
On October 30, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot 25-year-old U.S. citizen Carlos Jimenez in the shoulder during an early morning enforcement operation in Ontario, California, near Los Angeles. The incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. in the 2800 block of South Vineyard Avenue, near …
On October 27, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security posted an image from the Halo video game franchise showing Master Chief and a Spartan in a Warthog vehicle with the text “DESTROY THE FLOOD” as an ICE recruitment advertisement. The post was captioned “Finishing this …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased its weapons budget to over $71 million—a 700% surge—including acquisitions of guided missile warheads and explosive components. The massive militarization of immigration enforcement signals preparation for violent mass operations rather than traditional …
Amazon’s Ring announced partnerships with both Flock Safety and Axon, marking a dramatic reversal of its January 2024 commitment to limit police access to user footage. The partnerships enable law enforcement agencies to request Ring doorbell camera footage through third-party platforms …
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the department is purchasing additional Chicago real estate to expand ICE operations, stating ‘We’re doubling down’ on federal control amid strong local opposition from Governor JB Pritzker. The property purchases represent federal overreach into …
ICE furloughed its entire Office of Detention Oversight despite detention capacity surpassing 100,000 beds, eliminating monitoring of facility conditions while detainee numbers reach historic highs. The shutdown of oversight occurred simultaneously with the largest expansion of immigration detention …
CoreCivic, a private prison company, secured nearly $300 million in new ICE contracts to add 5,700 detention beds across California, Kansas, and Oklahoma, effectively doubling agency capacity by 2026. The contracts include $130 million annually for California City Correctional Facility, $60 million …
The Department of Homeland Security and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented a data-sharing agreement providing ICE with access to the personal information of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees nationwide. The shared database includes names, addresses, birth dates, ethnic and racial …
Project On Government Oversight revealed that Ballard Partners—the lobbying firm that employed Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—secured lucrative no-bid ICE contracts for clients providing controversial biometric surveillance technology. In August, …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit signs a $3 million contract with Magnet Forensics, the Canadian firm that acquired Grayshift in 2023 following its $1.35 billion acquisition by investment firm Thoma Bravo. The contract continues ICE’s …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracted Clearview AI for $9.2 million to expand facial recognition surveillance capabilities, ostensibly for child exploitation investigations and officer ‘assault’ cases. ICE has already spent $3.7 million of the contract. Clearview AI’s …
On September 8, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the launch of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a massive multi-agency immigration enforcement surge targeting Illinois and northwest Indiana. The operation marked a significant escalation in urban immigration enforcement …
ICE lifted the stop work order on its $2 million contract with Israeli spyware maker Paragon, granting the agency access to ‘Graphite’ spyware capable of bypassing encryption on WhatsApp, Signal, and Facebook Messenger. The software uses ‘zero-click exploits’ that force …
Flock Safety publicly admits that federal immigration agents have had direct access to automated license plate reader data through a previously undisclosed pilot program with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), giving federal authorities access to more …
Senator Jon Ossoff’s investigation identified 510 credible reports of human rights abuse in ICE detention, including 41 cases of physical or sexual abuse, 18 reports of child mistreatment, and 14 reports of pregnant women abuse. At Krome detention center, the facility held 1,200 more people …
ICE detention facilities hold approximately 59,000 immigrants, exceeding capacity by 140%. Over 70% of detainees have no criminal record, and 93% have never been convicted of a violent crime, contradicting Trump’s repeated claims of targeting violent criminals. The overcrowding has led to …
Fourteen people died in ICE custody by August 2025, with 11 deaths occurring since the start of the Trump administration. Nearly 90% of ICE detainees are held in facilities run by private companies GEO Group and CoreCivic. Reports documented widespread medical neglect, overcrowding, lack of food, …
ICE denied multiple members of Congress access to immigration detention facilities across the country, including Rep. Jason Crow at Aurora, Colorado and six Maryland Democrats at Baltimore’s Fallon Federal Building. Despite a 2019 law guaranteeing congressional access for oversight, ICE …
Federal Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a landmark ruling ordering the Trump administration to stop indiscriminate immigration sweeps in Southern California. The ruling came after the ACLU brought a case alleging unconstitutional arrests and denial of attorney access. The judge found …
The Department of Homeland Security ended a long-standing policy that restricted ICE agents’ ability to arrest undocumented people at sensitive locations including houses of worship, schools, and hospitals. DHS stated “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools …
David Huerta arrested near an LA garment warehouse during a federal operation; later charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer; released on bond
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued a directive to ICE to arrest up to 3,000 immigrants each day - a more than fourfold increase from the previous daily average. This unprecedented quota system for immigration arrests represents a fundamental shift …
Palantir Technologies received a $30 million contract to deliver ImmigrationOS, an AI platform that integrates previously-segregated government databases including IRS tax records, Social Security files, passport records, and license-plate reader data for immigration enforcement. The system, to be …
ICE contractor MVM Inc. detained Valentina Galvis and her infant son at the Sonesta O’Hare hotel in Chicago for five days in June 2025, continuing the practice of using commercial hotels as unofficial detention centers. MVM employee JoAnna Granado transported them from the hotel. Investigation …
Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem held a tense meeting at ICE headquarters demanding field offices achieve 3,000 daily arrests—triple the early administration numbers. Miller threatened to fire the bottom 10% of directors monthly if quotas weren’t met. A week later, Kenneth Genalo …
ICE agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on May 9, 2025, while he attempted to join three Democratic members of Congress conducting an oversight visit to the Delaney Hall ICE detention center. Over 20 armed ICE officers surrounded and arrested Baraka on public property after he had already left …
In May 2025, ICE launched “Operation At Large,” a massive nationwide plan to dramatically increase arrests of unauthorized immigrants. The operation includes more than 5,000 personnel from across federal law enforcement agencies and a requested 21,000 National Guard troops, representing …
During President Trump’s first 100 days, ICE arrested over 65,000 individuals, including 2,288 gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and other gangs. Additionally, 1,329 were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder, marking the most …
Operation Tidal Wave (April 21-26, 2025) resulted in 1,120 arrests across Florida, the largest number in a single state in one week in ICE’s history. While ICE claimed all were “criminal aliens,” 37% had no criminal convictions beyond immigration violations. Governor DeSantis and …
ICE terminated a $72.9 million no-bid contract with Universal Strategic Advisors after competitor protests exposed “improper influence” in securing the deal. The company’s executives, Brian DeMore and David Marin, were previously sued for fabricating criminal evidence while at DHS. …
ICE awarded a $3.8 billion contract to Deployed Resources on April 10 for Fort Bliss tent detention camp, then terminated it three days later “for convenience” amid corruption allegations. The contract was then awarded to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a tiny Virginia company with no …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced 32,809 enforcement arrests in the first 50 days of the Trump Administration (January 21 - March 12, 2025), demonstrating a dramatic acceleration of immigration enforcement. The arrests included 14,000 convicted criminals, 9,800 migrants with …
Madison Sheahan, a 28-year-old former aide to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with no law enforcement experience, was appointed ICE Deputy Director on March 9, 2025. Federal law requires the ICE Director to have “a minimum of 5 years professional experience in law enforcement, and a minimum of 5 …
Under President Trump, ICE made over 20,000 arrests in a single month - a 627% increase compared to just 33,000 at-large arrests for all of last year under Biden. This dramatic escalation marks the beginning of the administration’s mass deportation campaign.
Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello, a 20-year ICE veteran, was removed from his position on February 21, 2025, after failing to meet deportation quotas of 3,000 daily arrests despite only achieving 1,200-1,400 per day. Vitello was reassigned to a senior enforcement role after just one month leading …
Daniel Bible, ICE’s top career official responsible for immigrant detention for nearly 15 years, left the agency on October 31, 2024, to become executive vice president at GEO Group, ICE’s largest private detention contractor. This move is part of a systemic ‘revolving door’ …
Carlo Jimenez, a Navy Iraq War veteran and ICE supervisory detention officer, reported weapons violations after an officer distributed pocketknives to staff at Montgomery Processing Center in December 2022. Despite weapons being banned, leadership took no action. After Jimenez reported to DHS …
Private security contractor MVM Inc. detained migrant children in Hampton Inn hotels across Arizona and Texas border cities before expelling them under Title 42. The company held at least 29 children in hotels in April 2020, increasing to 80 by May, with children as young as 1 year old detained …
Maria Butina was released from the Tallahassee Federal Correction Institution on October 25, 2019 after serving more than 15 months in federal custody. She was immediately taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported to Russia the same day, departing on a direct …
Public dashboards and FOIA releases often show fewer sites than ICE’s full contracting footprint. GAO documented ‘over 230’ facilities for 72‑hour‑plus detention in FY2019. TRAC’s 2025 analysis shows ~181 authorized detention facilities and ~63k contractual capacity …
In June 2018, at the height of the Trump administration’s family separation crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, Amazon Web Services officials met with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representatives in Redwood City, California to pitch Rekognition facial recognition technology for …
The Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ family separation policy forcibly removed over 5,500 children from their parents at the border, detaining them in cages at facilities described as ‘concentration camps’ by historians. Children as young as 4 months were taken, …
On April 6, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance” policy for unauthorized border crossings that was explicitly designed to separate children from their parents as a deterrent to asylum seekers and migrants. The policy marked a deliberate escalation from …
Grayshift rapidly expands its federal law enforcement customer base, securing significant contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Secret …
CBP awarded Accenture $297M contract to hire 7,500 border agents/officers to meet Trump’s executive order. Delivered only 2 agents first year, 22-58 total hires by termination. $40K per hire cost exceeded average officer salary. Contract terminated April 2019 ‘for convenience’ …
Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …