Tech-savvy activists and hacktivist groups are mobilizing online to counter federal immigration enforcement efforts, using digital surveillance and tracking tools in response to the Trump administration’s expanded deportation operations.
Communities across the United States are leveraging social media, encrypted messaging apps, and custom-built tools to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. The grassroots resistance includes websites that map ICE raid locations, identify surveillance cameras, and track agent movements — even as federal authorities work to shut down these platforms.
The digital pushback intensified following the Trump administration’s self-anointed One Big Beautiful Bill, which provided ICE with substantial funding to expand its surveillance capabilities. The agency has since secured contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon, data analytics firm Palantir, phone-cracking forensic tools, data brokers, and facial recognition technology. ICE also gained access to sensitive data from the IRS, Medicaid, and Social Security Administration.
“Even when the government pushes to block high-profile apps or webpages, people will continue to share information with their community to keep each other safe,” said Mario Trujilo, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Among the resistance efforts, cybercriminal collectives have released personal information on hundreds of ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials. Last month, a YouTube user exposed security flaws in Flock Safety, a nationwide license plate recognition system used by law enforcement to assist ICE operations that revealed AI-powered cameras accessible via the internet.
Federal and corporate responses have been swift. Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed ICE-tracking apps like Red Dot, DeICER, and ICEBlock endanger agents, prompting Google and Apple Inc. to remove them from their platforms. Meta Platforms Inc. blocked users from sharing a database containing names and photos of ICE agents, citing privacy concerns. FBI Director Kash Patel launched an investigation into Minnesota residents allegedly using Signal to share agent locations.
The Department of Justice confirmed it “has demanded the removal of several ICE tracking apps,” while DHS attempted — then withdrew — a subpoena to identify users behind an anonymous Instagram account warning Pennsylvania residents about immigration raids.
The EFF filed suit against DHS and DOJ in November, alleging unlawful pressure on tech companies. “The government’s coercion of Apple, Google, and Meta is part of a bigger pattern to try and intimidate people who speak out against unpopular and illegal immigration tactics,” Trujilo said.
Meanwhile, French tech giant Capgemini announced Sunday it would divest its U.S. subsidiary, Capgemini Government Solutions, following scrutiny of its ICE contract. The company provided skip tracing services, data-driven tracking to locate individuals and verify addresses for deportation operations. The framework agreement was valued at more than $365 million.
The controversy erupted after independent outlet l’Observatoire des multinationales revealed the contract details, prompting Capgemini to convene an emergency board meeting over the weekend. The company said legal constraints on contracting with federal entities conducting classified activities prevented it from exercising “appropriate control” over the subsidiary’s operations to ensure alignment with corporate objectives.
Capgemini Government Solutions represents just 0.4% of the group’s estimated 2025 revenue and less than 2% of its U.S. operations. The divestment process will begin immediately, the company said, adding that the December contract “was the subject of an appeal.”
