AI-Enhanced Immigration Enforcement Under Trump
The United States under President Donald Trump is escalating its use of surveillance systems and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and apprehend immigrants. This development has raised significant concerns about the potential risks to accuracy and privacy, putting almost anyone at risk of being caught up in the crackdown.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other immigration enforcement agencies are employing a range of AI tools, including facial recognition scanners in public areas and robotic dogs patrolling the southern border to detect human movement. These technologies are part of a broader effort to intensify the crackdown on alleged illegal immigration.
Many of the AI tools currently in use have been in place for years, inherited from previous administrations. However, their scope has been significantly expanded under the Trump administration. According to Saira Hussain, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, these tools now target a wider range of individuals, and more people have access to the data they collect.
The surveillance network has also been expanded to include services provided by private contractors like Babel Street, which monitor immigrants’ social media accounts to gather personal information. This data is then used by agencies such as DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to track immigrants’ locations, map their family connections, and justify arrest warrants and deportation decisions.
A notable example of this expanded surveillance is the ‘Catch and Revoke’ program, launched in March under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This initiative uses AI to monitor public statements made by foreign nationals, particularly those holding student visas, to identify individuals who appear to support designated terrorist organizations like Hamas. As a result, over 300 foreign nationals have had their visas revoked.
Digital rights advocates have expressed concerns about the reliability of AI tools, which can sometimes produce false information or ‘hallucinations.’ Paromita Shah, executive director of Just Futures Law, highlighted the risk of civil rights violations and abuses associated with the use of these tools in immigration enforcement.
Since Trump took office, there have been several documented cases of immigration officials acting on inaccurate AI data. For instance, U.S. citizens Jonathan Guerrero and Jensy Machado were wrongly detained by immigration authorities. These incidents underscore the potential dangers of relying on flawed AI systems.
Critics argue that the Trump administration prioritizes making a public impact over ensuring the accuracy of the technology. Tekendra Parmar, an independent tech analyst, suggested that the fallibility of AI tools allows the administration to implement a ‘rubber stamp’ deportation policy under the guise of using advanced technology.
The use of surveillance systems is not limited to immigrants; it also affects U.S. residents, regardless of their citizenship status. Research by Georgetown University Law Center revealed that ICE had access to driver’s license data of nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults and could locate the same proportion through public utility records. This aggregated data is fed into algorithms that help determine who should be detained, released, or placed under electronic surveillance.
Furthermore, Trump’s executive order promotes the use of 287(g) agreements, allowing DHS to deputize local law enforcement as federal immigration officers. This move effectively expands the reach of immigration agencies and increases the number of officials handling sensitive data collected by AI tools.
As the U.S. continues to ramp up its use of AI in immigration enforcement, concerns about privacy, accuracy, and civil liberties are likely to grow. The integration of AI in this context raises fundamental questions about the balance between national security, technological advancement, and individual rights.
