ICE Taps Into National License Plate Database To Track Down Illegal Alien Whereabouts

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has officially gained agency-wide access to a nationwide license plate recognition database, according to a contract finalized earlier this month. The system gives the agency access to billions of license plate records and new powers of real-time location tracking, raising significant concerns from civil libertarians.

The source of the data is not named in the contract, but an ICE representative said the data came from Vigilant Solutions, the leading network for license plate recognition data. “Like most other law enforcement agencies, ICE uses information obtained from license plate readers as one tool in support of its investigations,” spokesperson Dani Bennett said in a statement. “ICE is not seeking to build a license plate reader database, and will not collect nor contribute any data to a national public or private database through this contract.” (Vigilant did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)

leroisF40 - 1/26/2018 3:01:12 PM

+2 Boost

So this is to track illegal aliens and criminals? If that is this case then why can't ICE or any law enforcement agency just do real investigative work and investigate just those individuals through the legal constitutional channels given to them. Gathering yours, mine and every other drivers information and driving habits is a violation of my, your, and everyone else's privacy. This is what the last decades of overreaching governments has brought us to. But hell, those same governments have also controlled the education establishments for that same time or longer and in doing so have slowly changed the curriculum so that they can get away with this and the masses would not notice. The masses are so easy to control these days, all they have to do is say is " this is for your safety" or "This will help us stop Terrorism" or anything of that nature and the public at large will accept it. Really sad times but one thing is for sure, it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

sailorliteLW - 1/26/2018 9:23:42 PM

+1 Boost

Aren't there a few states that don't participate in the national database?

MDarringer - 1/27/2018 10:50:33 AM

+4 Boost

Anything that leads to the deportation of illegal aliens breaking the law is a good thing. They aren't here legally, so throw out due process and protections and go after them.