Summary
More than 70 Democratic lawmakers want the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for buying location data that tracks mobile phones in the U.S. There are concerns that ICE might be using this data without legal permission. DHS says ICE only uses tools it has the right to use.
Key Facts
- Over 70 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter asking for an investigation into ICE's purchase of location data.
- ICE gave a no-bid contract to PenLink in 2025 for a product called Webloc, used for tracking locations.
- Webloc can monitor areas and track mobile devices over time using location information.
- The DHS Inspector General reported in September 2023 that ICE, CBP, and the Secret Service used location data in ways that broke privacy laws and policies.
- DHS stated that ICE only uses legal tools and complies with the U.S. Constitution.
- Lawmakers worry ICE is again accessing data that was previously stopped due to legal issues.
- ICE used two systems called Webloc and Tangles to track locations according to 404 Media.
- The DHS Inspector General advised stopping the use of location data until proper safeguards exist.
