DHS Accused of Storing ICE Observer Photos in Palantir Database

October 3, 2026 at 12:52 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A partially unsealed court filing alleges DHS agents collected photos, license plates, and personal data on ICE observers in Maine and stored them in Palantir's Investigative Case Management database. The filing, part of a proposed class action, claims agents intimidated observers through home drive-bys and secondary border inspections. DHS calls the case meritless.

Key Facts

The filing alleges DHS agents created ICM records on at least six observers, while the government says the number is eight.
Agent J.C. labeled two people filmed at a Home Depot parking lot as 'Threat to Law Enforcement, Professional Protestor'.
On January 20, agent J.C. ran a license plate of a car near an arrest in Portland, Maine, and pulled a report on the owner from LexisNexis's Accurint database.
The motion is dated September 11 and became public in redacted form on October 2, 2026.
A 2016 DHS privacy assessment stated ICM subject records are automatically shared with CBP's TECS system, where they can function as traveler-screening lookout records.

The Allegations

The filing alleges DHS agents photographed observers, recorded vehicle license plates, and sought personal information during ICE operations in Maine in January. Agents allegedly intimidated observers by driving by their homes and, in one case, requiring a woman to undergo secondary inspection at the border until at least January 2027. Agent J.C. sent photos to a CBP officer to run facial recognition searches using an app called Mobile Query. After Pantos photographed an arrest in Portland, J.C. circulated a photo of Williams to his team asking, 'Was this the protestor.'

The Database

ICM is the case management system used by Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE component, to document investigations. Palantir built ICM using its Gotham software. A 2016 DHS privacy assessment described ICM subject records as automatically shared with CBP's TECS system. The motion discusses ICM and TECS records associated with Williams and alleges they contributed to a secondary inspection.

Legal Response

The case is a proposed class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. The four named plaintiffs are Elinor Hilton, Colleen Fagan, Polyxenia Pantos, and Carlyn Williams. JoAnna Suriani, an attorney at Protect Democracy representing the observers, said the government is treating people who exercise First Amendment rights as criminal suspects. A DHS spokesperson called the case meritless and said the underlying lawsuit is based on the lie that there is a database of domestic terrorists run by DHS.