According to documents obtained by NPR, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons confirmed in an April 1 letter that the agency utilizes advanced spyware. The correspondence served as a delayed response to an October inquiry from three Democratic members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Lawmakers had expressed alarm over reports that ICE was deploying “Graphite,” a program developed by the Israeli firm Paragon Solutions.
Graphite operates by breaching device security and cloud backups, allowing it to covertly intercept messages from encrypted apps like Signal and WhatsApp. Privacy experts and civil rights advocates are wary of the tool because it installs without the victim’s knowledge, granting authorities unfettered access to private correspondence and creating a high risk of abuse against journalists or activists.
In the letter, Lyons explained that the agency’s investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), uses a variety of tools to disrupt foreign terrorist organizations, “particularly those involved in the trafficking of fentanyl.” He justified the decision by citing the unprecedented lethality of the drug and the fact that criminals are increasingly moving their operations to digital platforms.
ICE is currently intensifying its use of surveillance technology to locate undocumented individuals as part of the Donald Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Furthermore, reports suggest that similar tracking tools have been used extensively against U.S. citizens who participated in protests against the agency’s actions.
The disclosure comes just in time as Congress prepares for a heated debate over surveillance law reauthorization. Lawmakers are expected to discuss closing a legal loophole that currently allows the federal government to bypass warrants by purchasing the data of millions of Americans from commercial brokers.