Unsealed Filing Says DHS Created ICE Agent Dossiers in Palantir Database

with explosives A newly partially unsealed court filing alleges that the Department of Homeland Security created dossiers on ICE observers and protesters, including photographs, license plate numbers and other personal information. The information was stored in the Investigative Case Management Database, a system built by Palantir.

Palantir did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A DHS spokesperson called the lawsuit “meritless” and said, “The underlying lawsuit is based on the lie that there is a ‘domestic terrorist’ database run by DHS.”

Filing details alleged surveillance of ICE observers

The plaintiffs rely largely on government-produced documents and testimony from DHS employees. They allege that employees had a practice of intimidating protesters and observers.

According to the filing, the plaintiffs requested that the agents’ homes be searched by vehicle and that at least one agent be subjected to secondary inspections every time he attempts to cross the border until at least January 2027.

“The government is treating people who seek to exercise their First Amendment rights and hold them accountable as criminal suspects, and we are asking the courts to stop doing that,” said Protect Democracy attorney Joanna Suliani, who represents the ICE monitors in the case.

The filing focuses on the agent’s conduct during the period described in the case. Immigration enforcement spiked in Maine in January of this year, following the DHS announcement about its enforcement strategy.

The lawsuit is a proposed class action filed in federal court in Maine by four observers: Elinor Hilton, Colleen Fagan, Polixenia Pantos and Karlin Williams. The lawsuit was filed under seal in September, and a redacted version was released Friday.

ICE agent allegedly used ICM database to track observers

The filing describes how a DHS employee referred to as “Agent JC” used the Investigative Case Management database. The government describes ICM as a case management system used by Homeland Security Investigations, a component of ICE, to record investigations and report to supervisors.

According to the filing, JC created ICM records for at least six observers. The government puts the number at eight.

The filing says JC labeled two people he photographed in a hardware store parking lot as “Threat to Law Enforcement, Professional Protesters.” He allegedly sent photos of them and others to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents so they could conduct facial-recognition searches using an app called Mobile Query.

Filing describes license plate and personal data searches

On January 20, Pantos stood beside her spouse’s car several cars away in Portland, Maine, briefly watching and taking photos as she was arrested.

Hours later, JC checked the car’s license plates and pulled a report on the owner, Williams, from Accurint, a LexisNexis database used by law enforcement, according to the filing. The report listed her address, phone number and roommates.

JC then allegedly circulated his photo to the team and asked, “Was this a protester?” Another investigator responded that she did not match the woman who responded to the scene, according to the filing. JC then told his colleague, “I’m just adding it to ICM.”

The court filing is available in the Hilton v. Noem case docket.