• ICE analyzes TikTok profiles
  • Agents explore facial recognition
  • ACLU questions these practices

An exchange of messages between ICE agents in Long Beach, California, reveals how they may be exploring social media platforms to identify undocumented immigrants.

The agents specifically discussed using TikTok profile photos and facial recognition tools, according to messages submitted to a court.

The conversation was introduced as evidence in a recent court motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The exchange raises questions about the scope of digital tools used by immigration authorities to collect information that people openly publish online.

ICE Uses TikTok and Facial Recognition to Identify Immigrants

  • What happened: One of the agents directly asked whether they could analyze photos of users who allegedly acknowledged publicly that they did not have legal immigration status.

“Can we use facial recognition on profile pictures of people who are admitting in TikTok comments that they are illegal?” the agent wrote.

The response indicated that it would have to involve a case related to Section 1326 of U.S. federal law.

That provision covers the unlawful reentry into the United States of a person who was previously deported or removed from the country.

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The exchange continued when one of the agents shared a photograph to see whether information could be obtained through facial recognition.

“Is this b**** good for facial recognition?” the agent asked, according to the messages included in the court motion.

“I didn’t find anything,” the other agent responded after apparently attempting to identify the person using the image provided.

The messages do not indicate that this particular search successfully identified or located the person whose photograph was shared.

ACLU Questions ICE TikTok Surveillance and Use of Social Media Information

ICE TikTok Surveillance to Identify Immigrants
ICE TikTok Surveillance to Identify Immigrants – Illustration: generated with AI — MundoNow
  • Why it matters: The exchange raises questions about how far federal authorities can go when analyzing information that users make publicly available online.

For immigrant advocates at the ACLU, using photographs and social media posts as identification tools represents an additional concern.

The case also shows how seemingly informal comments posted on digital platforms could become information of interest to immigration agents.

Immigration attorney Víctor Nieblas warned that authorities now have more technological resources available to investigate and identify individuals.

“The Department of Immigration is doing everything possible, with all the money they have been given, to investigate people,” he said.

“Yes, they use these facial recognition applications,” Nieblas added in comments to N+ UNIVISION.

The concern surrounding ICE TikTok surveillance is not limited to TikTok itself, but extends to information a person chooses to keep publicly available across different social media platforms.

Immigrants Advised to Be Careful About What They Post on Social Media

  • What you can do: Nieblas recommended that immigrants pay particular attention to what they share publicly and avoid revealing information about their immigration status.

“They need to be very careful at this point, TikTokers and people on all social media platforms,” the attorney said.

“Don’t start shouting that you don’t have documents, because they are already recording you, they are already using your images,” he added.

“And they are, in fact, applying this new technology. They are locating you,” Nieblas concluded while explaining the potential risks associated with public posts.

The recommendation is to carefully review what information remains visible to anyone online, particularly content that could directly reveal a person’s immigration status.

The exchange between the agents shows that publicly available posts and photographs can draw the attention of authorities responsible for enforcing immigration laws.

During an encounter with ICE agents, a person has the right to remain silent and ask to speak with an attorney.