Original Date Announced

According to a complaint filed in UAW v. Department of State, the federal government has developed and is deploying a vast surveillance apparatus, including automated technologies and AI, to surveil online expressive activity of every visa holder and noncitizen in the United States, with a particular focus on visa holders and LPRs with campus affiliations.

The complaint alleges that the program emerged from the “Catch and Revoke” initiative, where DHS’s mandate encompassed surveilling online speech associated with campus protests about Palestine. DHS established a “Tiger Team,” consisting of analysts in the DHS-HSI Office of Intelligence & Analysis, that was responsible for developing a factual record about disfavored speakers. The program expanded within DHS and the State Department to visa applicants and re-applicants in March; a task force charged with systematic expansion of the program was created around April. The complaint alleges that the government has and is continuing to contract with private companies to increase its technological capability and surveillance apparatus.

The plaintiffs in UAW v. Department of State are three unions representing graduate student workers. The complaint alleges that the surveillance program violates the Fifth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, and asks the court to declare the program unlawful, enjoin the government from continuing to implement the program or rely on records created through this surveillance, and to vacate all final agency actions that implemented the program. UAW v. Dep't of State, No. 1:25-cv-08566 (S.D.N.Y.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Trump 2.0 [ID #2052]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.03.15 Reported: Hacked data shines light on homeland security’s AI surveillance ambitions - The Guardian

The Guardian obtained hacked data from DHS's Office of Industry Partnership (OIP), which works with private companies to develop technology for DHS. The data show that on May 7, 2025, OIP contracted with three companies to develop adapters allowing DHS agents to use their cell phones for biometric scanning, including face, iris, and fingerprint scanning; with four companies to develop AI technology to surveil passengers approaching TSA airport security checkpoints by analyzing airport CCTV feeds and automatically cataloging passengers’ physical characteristics; and with four companies to develop AI to use nationwide 911 call data to create “geospatial heat maps” to “predict incident trends.”

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.05.30 Reported: Trump's immigration enforcers look into buying ad data. Industry insiders fear what comes next - Politico

Politico reports that ICE published a request for information in January 2026 seeking information on how "commercial Big Data and Ad Tech providers can directly support investigations." It appears to be ICE's first time issuing a public request for this data, which may include information on people's purchases, web browsing, or social media use. ICE commented that it is “using all lawful tools to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the U.S.”

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.07.24 Complaint - Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Mullin

The Electronic Privacy Information Center and three individuals filed suit against the administration to challenge its policy of collecting, maintaining, and sharing personal information about protestors and legal observers. Plaintiffs contend that DHS records observers using tools such as facial recognition, body cameras, and license-plate readers, stores that information in its "Automated Targeting System," and has retaliated against individuals by revoking their TSA PreCheck and Global Entry privileges.

The complaint also references DHS's quiet rescission of privacy policies such as its 2016 Privacy Policy for DHS Mobile Applications and 2023 Directive 026-11, "Use of Face Recognition and Face Capture Technologies." It alleges that eliminating such policies allowed DHS to dramatically expand its collection and retention of sensitive information without notice and justification. In so doing, DHS has allegedly violated the First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act. Electronic Privacy Information Center v. Mullin, No. 3:26-cv-04232 (S.D. Cal.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.03 Reported: How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics - The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal reports that ICE has paid millions to private contractors to identify online accounts that posed threats to the agency and subpoenaed social media companies to identify the individuals behind these accounts. DHS attempted to subpoena Reddit to identify users, but the company objected, arguing that users were engaged in First Amendment-protected speech. The government has also recently used grand jury subpoenas, but no charges have been filed in these cases.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.08.27 Reported: U.S. Investigated Left-Leaning Groups During Minnesota Immigration Crackdown - The New York Times

The New York Times reports that DHS conducted a significant surveillance operation during the Minnesota immigration crackdown, infiltrating group chats, obtaining financial records, and surveilling meetings and individuals of left-leaning organizations never accused of crimes. In one instance, officials used administrative subpoenas to obtain more than 3 years of financial records from an environmental group and a labor union; this timeframe goes far beyond the current period of civil unrest in Minnesota. Undercover agents have spied on meetings and individuals in libraries, parks, churches, and Signal chats, and have taken down license plate numbers. While none of the organizations have been charged, prosecutors have shown grand jurors slides asserting that these organizations were part of a conspiracy to impede the work of immigration officers.