ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms | WIREDSkip to main contentEarly Black Friday Deals2 DaysShop NowMenuSECURITYPOLITICSTHE BIG STORYBUSINESSSCIENCECULTUREREVIEWSBLACK FRIDAYMenuAccountAccountNewslettersSecurityPoliticsThe Big StoryBusinessScienceCultureReviewsChevronMoreExpandThe Big InterviewMagazineEventsWIRED InsiderWIRED ConsultingNewslettersPodcastsVideoMerchSearchSearchSign InSign InDell CameronSecurityNov 25, 2025 2:54 PMICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ FirmsImmigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.FacebookXEmailSave StoryPhotograph: PETER ZAY/Getty ImagesSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyImmigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding plans to outsource immigrant tracking to private surveillance firms, scrapping a recent $180 million pilot proposal in favor of a no-cap program with multimillion-dollar guarantees, according to new contracting records reviewed by WIRED.Late last month, the Intercept reported that ICE intends to hire bounty hunters and private investigators for street-level verification work. Contractors would confirm home and work addresses for people targeted for removal by—among other techniques—photographing residences, documenting comings and goings, and staking out workplaces and apartment complexes.Those filings cast the initiative as a substantial but limited pilot program. Contractors were guaranteed as little as $250 and could earn no more than $90 million each, with the overall program capped at $180 million. That structure pointed to meaningful scale but still framed the effort as a controlled trial, not an integral component of ICE’s removal operations.Newly released amendments dismantle that structure. ICE has removed the program’s spending cap and replaced it with dramatically higher per-vendor limits. Contractors may now earn up to $281.25 million individually and are guaranteed an initial task order worth at least $7.5 million. The shift signals to ICE’s contracting base that this is no longer an experiment, but an investment, and that the agency expects prime-tier contractors to stand up the staffing, technology, and field operations needed to function as a de facto arm of federal enforcement.The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to WIRED's request for comment.The proposed scope was already large. It described contractors receiving monthly recurring batches of 50,000 cases drawn from a docket of 1.5 million people. Private investigators would confirm individuals’ locations not only through commercial data brokers and open-source research, but via in-person visits when required. The filings outline a performance-based structure with bounty-like incentives: Firms will be paid a fixed price per case, plus bonuses for speed and accuracy, with vendors expected to propose their own incentive rates.The contract also authorizes the Department of Justice and other DHS components to issue their own orders under the program.Previous filings hinted that private investigators might receive access to ICE’s internal case-management systems—databases that contain photos, biographical details, immigration histories, and other enforcement notes. The amended filings reverse that, stating that contractors will not be permitted inside agency systems under any circumstance. Instead, DHS will send contractors exported case packets containing a range of personal data on each target. This change limits direct exposure to federal systems, but still places large volumes of sensitive information in the hands of private surveillance firms operating outside public oversight.The proposal is only the latest effort by the Trump administration to dramatically broaden the role of contractors inside ICE’s enforcement operations. WIRED first reported plans last month to install a contractor-run transportation network across the state of Texas, staffed by armed teams moving detainees around the clock. Earlier this fall, the agency sought a private vendor to staff two 24/7 social media “targeting centers,” where contract analysts would scan platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X for leads to feed directly into detention operations. And a separate proposal this month called for a privately run national call center, operated almost entirely by an industry partner, to field up to 7,000 enforcement calls per day with only minimal federal staff on site.Ultimately, the escalation in ICE’s private surveillance commitments reflects a basic reality—that few contractors will marshal the workforce, logistics, and infrastructure the agency demands without substantial assurances. By boosting guarantees and eliminating the cap, ICE can now fast-track an effort to place contract surveillance agents throughout its enforcement pipeline.You Might Also Like …In your inbox: WIRED's most ambitious, future-defining storiesWelcome to Big Tech's ‘Age of Extraction’Big Interview: Palantir’s CEO Alex Karp goes to warStarlink devices are allegedly being used at scam compoundsLivestream: What businesses need to know about agentic AIDell Cameron is an investigative reporter from Texas covering privacy and national security. He's the recipient of multiple Society of Professional Journalists awards and is co-recipient of an Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting. Previously, he was a senior reporter at Gizmodo and a staff writer for the Daily ... 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The Intercept initially reported ICE’s intentions to utilize private surveillance firms for street-level verification of immigrant locations, a strategy involving photography, documentation of movements, and stakeouts of residences and workplaces. However, newly released contracting records reveal a significant shift in ICE’s approach, dismantling a previously established $180 million pilot program. ICE has removed the spending cap and replaced it with dramatically increased per-vendor limits, authorizing contractors to earn up to $281.25 million individually, alongside guaranteed initial task orders of at least $7.5 million. This escalation signals a fundamental change, moving beyond a controlled trial to an investment in ICE’s operational expansion, demanding that prime-tier contractors establish the necessary workforce, logistics, and field operations to function as a de facto arm of federal enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, overseeing ICE, did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment, highlighting the sensitive nature of these developments. The initial scope of the project, involving contractors receiving monthly batches of 50,000 cases drawn from a docket of 1.5 million people, relied on commercial data brokers and open-source research alongside in-person verification. The revamped program maintains a performance-based structure with incentive rates determined by vendors, reflecting a focus on speed and accuracy.

Historically, filings hinted at potential access for private investigators to ICE’s internal case-management systems – databases containing photographic evidence, biographical details, immigration histories, and enforcement notes. This revised arrangement explicitly prohibits such access, instead delivering contracted data packets containing relevant personal information. Despite this limitation, it underscores the substantial transfer of sensitive information to private surveillance firms operating outside public oversight.

This initiative aligns with the Trump administration’s broader effort to expand the role of contractors within ICE’s enforcement operations, as previously detailed by WIRED. This includes plans for contractor-run transportation networks in Texas, staffed by armed teams, and 24/7 social media “targeting centers” utilizing contract analysts to scan platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X for leads. A separate proposal calls for a privately run national call center, operated primarily by an industry partner, to manage up to 7,000 enforcement calls daily with minimal federal staff.

The pronounced escalation in ICE’s private surveillance commitments reflects a pragmatic recognition of the challenges associated with securing the necessary workforce, logistics, and infrastructure without robust guarantees. By boosting financial assurances and eliminating the spending cap, ICE is accelerating its efforts to integrate contract surveillance agents throughout its enforcement pipeline.

The involvement of private firms, as detailed by reporter Dell Cameron, representing Texas focusing on investigative work, raises serious privacy concerns and questions about accountability when combined with the potential to access substantial datasets. Cameron, a recipient of multiple Society of Professional Journalists awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award recipient, specializes in reporting on privacy and national security issues. The shift toward greater reliance on external contractors can also diminish transparency and potentially exacerbate existing issues surrounding immigrant rights and due process.

Ultimately, the changes demonstrate a strategic shift, moving beyond a limited pilot program towards a broader operational expansion driven by the need for specialized expertise and rapid deployment – but also potentially increasing the risk of privacy violations and concerns regarding oversight.