US immigration agency operates vast surveillance dragnet, study finds

When cities and states passed sanctuary' laws to block police from aiding deportations, Ice found new ways to access private intel

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has built a massive digital surveillance system that gives it access to the personal details of almost every person in America, a two-year investigation by Georgetown University law center has found.

Researchers from the Center on Privacy & Technology on Tuesday released one of the most comprehensive reviews of Ice activities, concluding that the federal organisation has strayed well beyond its duties as an immigration body to become what is in effect a domestic surveillance agency.

Driver's license data for three of every four adults living in the US

Data drawn from the utility records of 75% of adults, covering more than 218m unique utility consumers in all 50 states

Information on the movements of drivers in cities that contain 75% of the US population

Facial recognition technology drawn from the driver's license photos of at least a third of all adults