In accordance with an agreement memorandum uncovered by The Intercept, LexisNexis, a public records data agent, is giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resources for identifying individuals who might perpetrate a crime – prior to any real crime taking place.

ICE can then follow the alleged pre-criminals’ whereabouts, thanks to LexisNexis.

The contentious $16.8 million deal involving LexisNexis and ICE is revealed in rare detail via the unredacted contract review.

According to Julie Mao, an attorney and co-founder of Just Futures Law, who filed suit against LexisNexis on claims that it unlawfully acquires and resells personal data, the main goal of this initiative is to conduct massive surveillance.

The ICE contract document Mao examined for The Intercept, as described by Mao, is an acknowledgment and indicator that ICE intends to observe people where no offense has been perpetrated and does not contain a warrant or proof of probable cause.

The contract overview outlines LexisNexis software as not just a huge container of private information, but additionally as an advanced analyzing equipment that claims to detect suspicious behavior and examine migrants — including their locations.

The business formerly declined to respond to inquiries about precisely what data it is selling to ICE or for what purpose.

The executive director of Georgetown Law School’s Center on Privacy and Technology, Emily Tucker, informed The Intercept this was “really alarming.”

Due to ICE’s utilization of license plate databases, Tucker’s comparison of the LexisNexis deal to contentious and often prejudiced predictive police software raised concerns.

Asher Stockler, a reporter, got the “performance of work statement” via a public documents request and provided it to The Intercept.

LexisNexis created it as an element of its agreement with ICE. A division of LexisNexis’ parent firm, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, signed the agreement with ICE, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, in 2021.