ICE purchases credit card data via brokers to support expanded surveillance priorities

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is acquiring access to credit card application records through data brokers, according to a report on Schneier on Security citing multiple sources and procurement documents. The practice allows ICE to obtain personal financial data provided during credit card applications without requiring a warrant.

The data pipeline described involves banks sharing information with credit bureaus, which then provide data to Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS) via its CLEAR platform. TRSS, in turn, supplies this data to ICE. Commenters in the post note that this pipeline operates without judicial oversight, raising concerns about Fourth Amendment protections.

A $125 million contract between ICE and TRSS is cited as directly linking data access to priorities including the identification of voter fraud, immigration fraud, and national security. The procurement document referenced in the report states that due to ICE’s re-prioritized mission, there is a need for this data to be readily accessible to support the presidential mandate associated with these areas.

Privacy advocates quoted in the report emphasize the lack of transparency and accountability in these data acquisition practices. Calls for legislative action, specifically the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, have been renewed in response to the reported pipeline and contracts.

The report also notes that TRSS is not the only contractor involved in providing data to ICE, indicating a broader ecosystem of data brokers and platforms facilitating government access to sensitive consumer information.