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"Capture it all": ICE urged to explain memo about collecting info on protesters

February 5, 2026
•Ars technica
"Capture it all": ICE urged to explain memo about collecting info on protesters

Here's something that caught my attention — Senator Markey is demanding answers from ICE about a possible 'domestic terrorists' database that may include peaceful protesters. According to Markey, as Jon Brodkin reports for Ars Technica, multiple officials have hinted that DHS could be collecting info on US citizens protesting ICE's immigration policies. Now, here's where it gets unsettling — if such a database exists, it would be a massive violation of the First Amendment and an abuse of power. Markey argues that tracking peaceful protesters sounds more like something you'd see in authoritarian regimes, not the U.S. But the thing is — ICE hasn't confirmed or denied its existence yet. And get this — Markey is calling for the department to immediately shut it down if it’s true, and delete everything. So what does this mean for your rights? It’s a warning sign that even peaceful dissent could be under surveillance, and that’s definitely worth watching.

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirm or deny the existence of a "domestic terrorists” database that lists US citizens who protest ICE's immigration crackdown.

ICE "officers and senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building a 'domestic terrorists' database comprising information on US citizens protesting ICE’s actions in recent weeks," Markey wrote in a letter yesterday to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. "If such a database exists, it would constitute a grave and unacceptable constitutional violation. I urge you to immediately confirm or deny the existence of such a database, and if it exists, immediately shut it down and delete it."

Creating a database of peaceful protesters "would constitute a shocking violation of the First Amendment and abuse of power," and amount to "the kinds of tactics the United States rightly condemns in authoritarian governments such as China and Russia," Markey said.

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Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirm or deny the existence of a "domestic terrorists” database that lists US citizens who protest ICE's immigration crackdown.

ICE "officers and senior Trump administration officials have repeatedly suggested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building a 'domestic terrorists' database comprising information on US citizens protesting ICE’s actions in recent weeks," Markey wrote in a letter yesterday to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. "If such a database exists, it would constitute a grave and unacceptable constitutional violation. I urge you to immediately confirm or deny the existence of such a database, and if it exists, immediately shut it down and delete it."

Creating a database of peaceful protesters "would constitute a shocking violation of the First Amendment and abuse of power," and amount to "the kinds of tactics the United States rightly condemns in authoritarian governments such as China and Russia," Markey said.

Read full article

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