Congress Must Halt ICE’s Social Media Surveillance Now

I write to express deep concern about reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to create a 24-7 social media surveillance system capable of tracking Americans’ online speech, associations, and activity in real time. It is an Orwellian nightmare. This proposal poses an immediate danger to privacy, free expression, and constitutional limits on government power. If implemented, it would allow federal agents and contractors to quietly compile digital dossiers on millions of innocent people. Congress must act swiftly to stop it. Recognize the Urgent Threat to Privacy and Freedom As reported by Wired in October 2025 (see https://www.wired.com/story/ice-social-media-surveillance-24-7-contract/), ICE’s planning documents describe a program employing about 30 private analysts to monitor social media posts on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit. It would merge these data with commercial systems such as LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters CLEAR, linking online comments to financial, property, and vehicle records. Analysts would then use this combined information to generate “leads” for enforcement — not from evidence of crime, but from patterns of speech or association. Understand How Surveillance Reverses Constitutional Principles This plan inverts the proper relationship between citizens and government. Instead of investigating based on suspicion or probable cause, ICE would monitor vast populations first and decide later who to target. Such power undermines the presumption of innocence and opens the door to political or discriminatory misuse. Confront the Constitutional and Civil Liberties Violations By calling this “open-source intelligence,” ICE may claim it can bypass the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement. Yet mass aggregation of public data is a search in every meaningful sense. It also chills protected speech and association under the First Amendment, as individuals self-censor to avoid being flagged or profiled. Acknowledge the Absence of Public Oversight No public consent or transparency exists for such monitoring. The proposed program would be operated by private contractors with minimal accountability, leaving Americans unaware that their normal online interactions could be converted into government records. Take Immediate Legislative and Oversight Action I urge you to: • Speak out publicly to oppose this program. • Introduce legislation prohibiting dragnet surveillance without individualized suspicion and judicial authorization. • Convene oversight hearings to compel disclosure from ICE and DHS about this system’s scope and legality. • Restrict appropriations to block any funds for implementation. • Reaffirm that mass surveillance of lawful speech violates both the spirit and letter of the Constitution. Your leadership is essential to defend the privacy, dignity, and constitutional rights of everyone in the United States.