ICE agents admit using surveillance apps and arrest quotas in Oregon operations
ICE agents testified in December court proceedings that they used surveillance apps called Elite and Mobile Fortify to identify arrest targets in Oregon while working under daily arrest quotas during Operation Black Rose. A federal judge sided with immigrants' rights plaintiffs and issued a ruling broadly halting warrantless arrests in the state.
What happened
In December court testimony, ICE agents identified as JB and DR disclosed that they were given oral orders to arrest eight people per day during Operation Black Rose in Portland, Oregon. JB, a deportation officer with ICE for five years, testified his team of nine to 12 agents used apps called Elite and Mobile Fortify to identify neighborhoods and people to target, particularly in Woodburn, a largely Latino city south of Portland.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by Innovation Law Lab, an immigrants' rights nonprofit, challenging ICE's practice of detaining people without warrants or probable cause. The October 30 operation in Woodburn resulted in at least 31 arrests.
Reported impact
Advocates claimed the surveillance and arrest tactics resulted in widespread racial profiling and unconstitutional arrests. Following the October blitz in Woodburn, the city council declared a local state of emergency as fear kept residents from attending work and school.
Index analysis
A federal judge sided with the plaintiffs and issued a ruling broadly halting warrantless arrests in Oregon. The judge overruled the U.S. attorney's objection to the term 'quota' during testimony, acknowledging the arrest targets.
Governance controls
DHS officials had previously claimed officers did not have quotas, contradicted by the December court testimony. The disclosure of apps Elite and Mobile Fortify appeared to be the first time ICE revealed in court its use of such surveillance tools for operations.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.