ICE has awarded 13 private firms two-year, nationwide skip-tracing contracts that could total about $1.2 billion, a Scripps News investigation found. The agreements pay more as companies locate additional individuals the agency seeks, and several vendors have no prior government experience. One firm, Fraud Inc., lists an apartment in Conroe, Texas, and could receive up to $25 million. Most companies reportedly have not yet been paid, and DHS and the White House were contacted for comment.
ICE Awards Up To $1.2 Billion In Contracts To Private Firms To Track Immigrants
Al Drago / Getty Images(Al Drago)
The Trump administration has contracted private companies to perform parts of the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration work, with deals that could total roughly $1.2 billion, a Scripps News investigation found.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) awarded two-year, nationwide agreements to 13 private firms for so-called "skip tracing" services—methods used to locate individuals, commonly employed to collect debts, repossess property or serve legal process. Federal contracting records reviewed by Scripps show the awards were issued last month.
Federal immigration agents detain a man during an operation by ICE and Border Patrol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 27. DHS is outsourcing some of its tracking and surveillance efforts to pricate companies, according to a report. / OCTAVIO JONES / AFP via Getty Images
How The Contracts Work
The contracts are structured so that payments increase as firms locate more people the agency is seeking, creating financial incentives tied to the number of individuals identified. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a solicitation in October seeking vendors capable of skip tracing and process-serving services.
Who Got The Work?
Scripps reported that several contractors had no prior government business and that some operate from private residences. For example, one vendor, Fraud Inc., lists an apartment in Conroe, Texas, as its base and could receive up to $25 million under the arrangement. According to the report, most of the 13 companies have not yet received payment.
Noem is facing pressure to resign even from some Republican senators, after a widely criticized month of ICE operations in Minneapolis. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Official Response And Political Fallout
The DHS and the White House were contacted for comment, the report says. The contracts come as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faces heightened scrutiny following two deaths involving federal agents in Minneapolis this month. The administration said it would try to de-escalate tensions in the city by removing Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino from the scene and sending in former Border Patrol chief Tom Homan.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told the Daily Beast: "What she's done in Minnesota should be disqualifying. She should be out of a job. It's just amateurish. It's terrible. It's making the president look bad on policies that he won on."
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) added that the administration needs "new leadership" at DHS.
As the contracts and the political controversy attract attention, civil liberties and immigration advocates may scrutinize how private vendors are used in immigration enforcement and how oversight will be applied to these new arrangements.
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