TL;DR
Reporting by 404 Media shows Palantir has developed a tool called ELITE that populates a map with potential deportation targets and associated dossiers. ICE reportedly uses the tool to locate areas with high concentrations of people it might detain, and the interface includes a confidence score for addresses.
What happened
Reporting obtained by 404 Media and summarized by Werdmuller links Palantir’s technology to an internal ICE mapping tool called ELITE. According to internal ICE material and testimony cited in the reporting, ELITE displays a map that highlights locations with many potential deportation targets and lets users open a dossier for each person. Those dossiers reportedly include a name, photo, Alien Number, date of birth and full address. The system also provides a "confidence score" indicating how certain the tool is about a person’s current address. The interface is described as resembling a familiar consumer mapping app but optimized to surface concentrations of immigrants and individual records for enforcement use. The reporting frames the project as raising ethical and civil‑liberties concerns and notes the potential moral conflict for people who build or maintain such software.
Why it matters
- A mapping tool that highlights concentrations of immigrants and links to individual dossiers could enable more focused enforcement operations by ICE.
- The inclusion of a confidence score for addresses affects operational decisions tied to arrests or raids, raising questions about accuracy and risk.
- Presenting demographic density as a source of 'targets' raises civil‑liberties and racial‑profiling concerns.
- The project implicates corporate responsibility and employee ethics for companies that build tools used in immigration enforcement.
- Use of a familiar map‑style interface may make complex enforcement data more actionable for officers in the field.
Key facts
- 404 Media reported it obtained internal ICE material and testimony linking Palantir technology to ICE activities.
- The tool in question is referred to as ELITE in the reporting.
- ELITE reportedly populates a map with potential deportation targets and highlights areas with many such people.
- When a person is selected, the system reportedly shows a dossier that includes name, photo, Alien Number, date of birth and full address.
- The tool provides a 'confidence score' for a person’s current address, per the user guide described in the reporting.
- The interface is described as resembling a consumer mapping product such as Google Maps, but designed for enforcement use.
- The reporting characterizes the system as enabling large‑scale racial profiling and discusses ethical concerns for employees who develop the product.
What to watch next
- Whether Palantir or ICE publish official responses or clarifications about ELITE and its operational use: not confirmed in the source.
- Any public oversight, legal challenges or investigations into the tool’s use and impact on communities: not confirmed in the source.
- If additional documents or testimony emerge detailing deployment scale, data sources, or technical methods: not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Palantir: A software company known for building data‑integration and analysis platforms used by government and commercial customers.
- ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement): A U.S. federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement and investigations into border‑related violations.
- Alien Number: An identification number assigned by U.S. immigration authorities to noncitizens for administrative tracking.
- Confidence score: A numeric or categorical indicator that estimates how likely a system believes a specific data point (such as an address) is correct.
- Dossier: A compiled record containing identifying information and other details about an individual.
Reader FAQ
What is ELITE?
According to reporting by 404 Media, ELITE is a Palantir‑linked tool that populates a map with potential deportation targets and shows person‑level dossiers.
What information does ELITE reportedly show for individuals?
The reporting says dossiers include a person’s name, photo, Alien Number, date of birth and full address.
Is it confirmed that ELITE is widely deployed by ICE?
Not confirmed in the source.
Has Palantir or ICE publicly commented on this reporting?
Not confirmed in the source.
DEMOCRACY ‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid "Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between…
Sources
- 'Elite': The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
- The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
- Handmade by human hands using machines
- ICE to Use ImmigrationOS by Palantir, a New AI System …
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