U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using a new digital tracking tool to locate and arrest undocumented immigrants across the country in a renewed push to meet deportation targets under Donald Trump’s administration.
The tool—originally named “Alien Tracker” or ATRAC—maps areas with high concentrations of individuals who have final deportation orders, allowing agents to quickly find and detain them. According to internal documents obtained by The New York Times, the system includes detailed, profile-style information for over 700,000 people, laid out in a “baseball card” format.
Related posts
This Article Includes
- 1 Related posts
- 2 LA News Anchor Says Some Are Having ‘Fun’ Watching Cars Burn, Calls Riots ‘Relatively Peaceful’
- 3 ‘Only Bad Guys Wear a Mask’: Ex-Border Agent Criticizes ICE Officers for Hiding Faces
- 4 Data Pool Grows Wider
- 5 Deportation Targets Tighten
- 6 Fast-Track Removals and Public Tips
- 7 Incentivized Self-Deportation
ICE officials say the app helps agents prioritize arrests. “The heat map shows where there are executable final orders of removal around the nation,” said Garrett Ripa, head of ICE’s Miami office. “An officer can zoom in on those areas and act.”
The platform also flags individuals with criminal convictions, further boosting their chances of fast-tracked removal.
According to the Times, Elon Musk and DOGE helped develop the app before Musk’s exit from the department last month.
Data Pool Grows Wider
The tracker reportedly draws from multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Social Security Administration. ICE aims to consolidate even more data in future updates, pulling from the IRS, Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Labor.
Deportation Targets Tighten
The Trump administration, led in part by senior adviser Stephen Miller, has aggressively pushed ICE to step up arrests after falling short of daily deportation goals. More than 200,000 undocumented immigrants have already been deported this year, according to internal government figures.
Last month, Miller reportedly asked ICE leadership whether they believed one million deportations by year’s end was feasible. He directed agents to increase visibility and patrols in locations like Home Depot parking lots and 7-Eleven stores.
In addition to these street-level efforts, ICE agents have started making arrests at courthouses across more than 20 states—often immediately after judges dismiss cases or issue removal orders. The agency has also targeted nightclubs, restaurants, and other community gathering spaces.
These tactics have sparked unrest. Recent ICE raids in Los Angeles County have triggered violent clashes between protesters and police, prompting President Trump to activate 4,000 National Guard troops to the area.
Fast-Track Removals and Public Tips
Many immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years are now subject to “expedited removal,” a process that skips judicial hearings entirely.
To aid enforcement, ICE has also asked for help from the public. A recent video posted to X (formerly Twitter) shows officers arresting several men outside a Baltimore hardware store. “When you call our Tip Line, we listen!” the agency captioned the post.
Incentivized Self-Deportation
In a bid to encourage voluntary compliance, the Department of Homeland Security announced a self-deportation option via its “CBP Home App.” Migrants who choose to leave on their own will receive amnesty from departure fines, free travel, and even a $1,000 “exit bonus.”
“By self-deporting, illegal aliens take control of their departure and may preserve the opportunity to come back to the U.S. the right and legal way in the future,” DHS wrote on social media.
