DHS tech buildout sparks backlash from Democrats [View all]

Source: The Hill

02/22/26 6:00 AM ET


The Trump administration’s deployment of a wide range of technologies to support its sweeping deportation push and respond to those protesting immigration raids is sparking pushback among Democrats and civil liberties advocates, who fear it may be abusing its power as it launches new tools.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has used funding from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act to invest in a range of technologies that can be used to track both migrants and U.S. citizens. DHS has purchased iris scanners, facial recognition software, web and social media scraping tools and even various cell phone tracking technologies among its new tools.

Democratic lawmakers concerned about the surge of new technologies have responded with several bills seeking to rein in the power of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as critics question whether the agency is trampling civil liberties with cutting-edge equipment.

“I think the chief concern is that ICE and DHS are pushing the boundaries of the law and the technologies that they’re using,” Don Bell, policy counsel at The Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight, told The Hill.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5748365-dhs-tech-buildout-sparks-backlash-from-democrats/