ICE gained backdoor access to nationwide license plate camera network: report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has allegedly obtained informal access to a nationwide network of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras by working through local police departments, despite lacking a direct contract with surveillance technology provider Flock Safety.

Data obtained from the Danville, Illinois Police Department documents more than 4,000 searches of Flock’s artificial intelligence-powered camera system between June 1, 2024, and May 5, 2025, that contained immigration-related terms in search justifications, according to a 404 Media investigation. The records show local and state police departments performed database queries citing reasons such as “immigration,” “ICE,” “ICE+ERO” and “illegal immigration” across multiple states.

The scale of access appears significant: When Dallas police conducted searches labeled “ICE+ERO” on March 6, for instance, the queries accessed 6,674 separate camera networks containing 77,771 individual devices. Law enforcement agencies from Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia reportedly performed such searches, with those specifically marked “immigration” appearing only after Trump’s January 2025 inauguration.

Flock Safety reportedly operates over 40,000 cameras in more than 5,000 communities, automatically capturing license plates, vehicle colors and models for 30-day storage periods, with police typically searching this data without obtaining warrants or court approval.

Local officials have strongly disputed the allegations. Danville Police Chief Chris Yates emphasized his department’s adherence to Illinois statutes that forbid using ALPR data for immigration enforcement purposes. Meanwhile, Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. declared that “what is being alleged is not happening.”

Other law enforcement agencies, however, have acknowledged conducting searches that assisted federal investigations. Multiple Illinois police departments reportedly confirmed they conducted searches to assist federal agencies informally. Deputy Chief Andrew Perley of Glencoe, Illinois, described one instance as “an informal request from Homeland Security Investigations into a criminal matter aside from immigration.” Missouri State Highway Patrol officials clarified that although their search reason was documented as “immigration,” the actual lookup “was related to a traffic stop with indicators of possible human trafficking,” according to the agency. Flock Safety maintained that customers “own and control 100% of the data collected by their Flock systems and choose who to share data with,” while stating that their technology has helped locate over a thousand missing persons.

The controversy comes amid expanding federal immigration enforcement efforts and ongoing legal challenges to surveillance practices. Legal challenges to warrantless ALPR searches are reportedly underway, with the Institute for Justice arguing these practices violate Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.

These allegations also coincide with the Trump administration’s efforts to expand local police involvement in immigration enforcement through the 287(g) program, which permits ICE to delegate immigration authority to local departments, and a January executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to authorize qualified local officers to perform immigration-related duties.