Monday, a coalition of activist groups and tech workers crowded outside Palantir Technologies’ New York office and called on the company to #disarmICE and cut off its technological support of the agency’s raids, deportations, and detentions.
Mijente, the social justice organization that spearheaded Monday’s protests, previously published documents detailing how “mission critical” or absolutely necessary Palantir is for ICE to function. The company, which makes software used by governments, law enforcement, and massive corporations for surveillance and mass data analysis purposes, has become a key lifeline for ICE.
A document dump from earlier this year revealed that in 2017, Palantir software allowed ICE to launch an operation that targeted and arrested family members of children who crossed the border, leading to 443 arrests.