Peter Thiel's Palantir Technologies to build ImmigrationOS: What is the system being built by close buddy of VP JD Vance and Tesla CEO Elon Musk

Federal authorities are in the process of developing a comprehensive new database system, dubbed "ImmigrationOS," designed to track and target millions of individuals residing in the United States without legal status. Media reports indicate that Palantir Technologies has secured a $30 million contract to build this Immigration Lifecycle Operating System (ImmigrationOS). The agreement with the Denver-based company stipulates the rollout of a prototype by this fall. A recent report by 404 Media also highlighted Palantir's increasing involvement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including its role in pinpointing the physical locations of individuals slated for deportation.
Palantir already manages the ICE system utilized for Homeland Security investigations. The new ImmigrationOS will consolidate data from numerous databases originating from both government and private sector sources. Palantir has maintained its status as an ICE contractor for over a decade, spanning both the Obama and Biden administrations.
What is the scope of ImmigrationOS
The reported $30 million no-bid contract will see Peter Thiel's Palantir Technologies assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in constructing a sophisticated system aimed at prioritizing individuals for deportation. This prioritization will reportedly include those accused of gang membership and individuals who have overstayed their tourist visas. The system may also monitor individuals who "self-deport" or voluntarily leave the United States, ostensibly to aid ICE in focusing enforcement efforts on those who remain.

"These transnational organizations' ongoing campaigns of violence and terror in the United States and internationally are extraordinarily violent, vicious, and similarly threaten the American people," ICE officials stated in their justification for the no-bid contract with Palantir. "They present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." The document further notes that "Palantir has deep institutional knowledge of ICE operations." The company is "already ingesting and processing data" from multiple federal agencies, positioning it uniquely to develop the prototype "in less than six months."

Peter Thiel, the founder and chairman of Palantir, maintains close relationships with Vice President JD Vance and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with whom he co-founded PayPal.

Civil liberties groups are raising concerns that systems like ImmigrationOS pose significant risks to the broader public, partly due to the lack of clarity on how the system's use will be strictly limited to individuals living in the United States without legal status. These groups warn that such a system could be readily expanded to target any American citizen.