It’s been some time since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been seen using a tool known as a Stingray, or a cell-site simulator, in its attempts to find and remove undocumented immigrants. The tool tricks a phone into thinking it’s a cell tower, and when a suspect’s device connects, the cops can trace its location. Its use is controversial because anyone in the same area as the target is at risk of having their information exposed.
In a recently-unsealed search warrant reviewed by Forbes, ICE used such a cell-site simulator in an attempt to track down an individual in Orem, Utah. The suspect had been ordered to leave the U.S. in 2023, but is believed to still be in the country. Investigators learned last month that before going to Utah, he’d escaped prison in Venezuela where he was serving a sentence for murder, according to the warrant. He’s also suspected of being linked to gang activity in the country, investigators said.
When the government got the target’s number, they first got a warrant to get its location. However, the trace wasn’t precise–it only told law enforcement that the target was somewhere in an area covering about 30 blocks. That led them to asking a court for a Stingray-type device to get an accurate location.
The warrant was issued at the end of last month and it’s not yet known if the fugitive was found.
But the case shows that, despite having been criticized by civil rights groups for using Stingrays during the last Trump administration, ICE continues to use the technology. Earlier this year, new media publication Straight Arrow News said it had analysed “mobile network anomalies” around a Washington state protest against ICE raids that were consistent with Stingray use.
Forbes found contract records showing ICE purchased nearly $1 million worth of “cell site simulator vehicles” in May this year, indicating it’s taking the surveillance tool fully mobile. That was part of a contract first signed under the Biden administration in 2024.
ICE also has an active contract worth up to $4.4 million with the original Stingray manufacturer, Harris Corporation, for unspecified “equipment to determine the location of targeted mobile handsets.” That deal was also signed during the Biden years.
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