A letter from acting ICE director Todd Lyons acknowledges the agency collects and maintains information on protesters and observers who are not arrested, even as it denies a dedicated database. The letter, sent to Congress in April, says ICE collects biographic and biometric data on individuals reasonably believed to be involved in potential violations of federal law.
Civil liberties experts say this is the clearest official admission yet of routine data collection on lawful observers. The response came only from ICE, not DHS as a whole, leaving questions about other agency practices.