The White House is supercharging ICE with the world’s most dangerous cyber weapons.

Trump just overturned critical Biden-era restrictions on spyware technology. Then, ICE reactivated a contract with Paragon that gives the leaders of Trump’s violent mass deportations access to malware that can hack into cell phones, including encrypted messages.¹

Governments have used this spyware across the globe to target journalists and activists.² Now, ICE and the White House can use it to break the law, target political enemies, and violate basic civil liberties.

“I’m extremely concerned about how ICE will use Paragon’s spyware to further trample on the rights of Americans and anyone who Donald Trump labels as an enemy,” said Senator Ron Wyden.³

Demand Progress is on the frontlines of the fight against mass surveillance in America. We’ve been mobilizing supporters and working the halls of Congress to oppose government overreach for over a decade — taking on administrations abusing their powers and big corporations helping them spy on Americans. While we ramp up our campaign to stop ICE’s cyber weapons, we need your support.

One spyware expert warned that these malware tools, “were designed for dictatorships, not democracies built on liberty and protection of individual rights.”⁴

“This type of mercenary spyware is a profound threat to free speech,” said First Amendment policy expert Nadine Farid Johnson. “It’s a profound threat to privacy.”⁵

And Paragon is not the only dangerous tech ICE has access to. ICE has a $30 million contract with Palantir, a Big Tech company founded by Trump billionaire mega-donor Peter Thiel. The partnership gives ICE tools to surveil and track immigrants⁶ so it’s easier for the Trump administration to raid workplaces, schools, and homes.

It’s clear that ICE will use Paragon spyware to further escalate its terror campaign across America. The Trump administration’s weaponization of technology will harm journalism, chill dissent, and threaten all of our rights.

Everyone opposing, or even reporting on, the White House’s mass deportations will need to worry that ICE is monitoring their communications — and that masked agents could show up at their door if authorities don’t like their messages.

Our work to oppose government surveillance and a supercharged ICE is urgent. We can only keep our advocacy and organizing strong in this fight against the White House with your support.

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