ICE signs $25M annual contract with Thomson Reuters for data mining on fraud

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreed to a five-year contract with Canadian tech conglomerate Thomson Reuters to obtain information on alleged "voter fraud" and "immigration fraud," sparking international controversy.

Contract Details and Scope

The contract, valued at $25 million per year, directs Thomson Reuters to assist with the "screening and vetting of individuals and entities for immigration, criminal and national security risks," according to the document published in the Federal Register. Thomson Reuters will also help identify "violations of U.S. immigration and customs laws."

Under the agreement, ICE will gain access to Thomson Reuters' databases of personal data, which include:

• Names
• Addresses
• Social Security numbers
• Ethnicity
• Social media posts
• Geolocation information

Other data sources feeding into Thomson Reuters' program include "credit header data" — personal information provided to financial institutions to open credit cards, such as addresses.

Voter Fraud and Unaccompanied Minors

The contract document states that ICE has a significant need to identify "unaccompanied minors," which will help "support the presidential mandate of the identification of voter fraud, immigration fraud and national security."

However, the contract "does not explain why ICE would need to identify unaccompanied minors, which is typically the remit of the Department of Health and Human Services," or how the data "would be used to combat voter fraud or immigration fraud," according to Wired.

Political and Internal Opposition

The partnership has drawn criticism both in the U.S. and in Canada, where Thomson Reuters is headquartered.

Canadian New Democratic Party Leader Avi Lewis urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to block the deal. "My blood ran cold when I read about this development," Lewis told The Guardian. "Complicity between Canadian corporations and ICE should absolutely be illegal."

Internal dissent also emerged. Prior to the contract being signed, 200 Thomson Reuters employees wrote a letter asking the company not to renew its agreement with ICE.

"We have experienced our neighbors, friends and family members undergoing arrests and detention, intimidation and harassment, and public violence," the letter stated, as obtained by The New York Times. "We question if our investigative products and services are being used in accordance with our mission and values, as well as in accordance with the law and our nation's constitution."

Company Response

Thomson Reuters has denied any wrongdoing. Recent media reporting "reflects misunderstandings about how our products are governed and safeguarded," the company said in a statement. Its products are "provided under strict contractual terms, subject to applicable law and governed by strong safeguards."

Background

ICE has been working with Thomson Reuters since at least 2015. However, the new contract is the first to explicitly state that the software will be used to support the Trump administration's objectives of addressing supposed "voter fraud," according to The Guardian.