Jason Vanderburg
Introduction to Computer Information Systems CMIS 1100
Dr. Jeanne Baugh
1 May 2025
Since returning to the presidency in 2025, Donald Trump revived his campaign promise to deport up to 20 million undocumented immigrants through what he describes as a militarized, large-scale enforcement initiative (Wolf). Though framed as a matter of national security and legal order, the methods raise serious concerns about the ethical, privacy, and security risks embedded in the supporting information systems. Central to the campaign is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is building a master database by merging records from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies to surveil and track immigrants nationwide (Kelly and Elliott). In ways that go beyond conventional law enforcement procedures, the database centralizes voting history, tax records, biometric information, and personal identifiers. This has the potential to normalize widespread surveillance and raise the risk of abuse. These initiatives are supported by executive orders, fewer due process protections, and AI technologies such as Palantir’s Foundry (Uribe; Alvarez et al.). Critics caution that such centralized data systems may violate constitutional rights and unfairly damage vulnerable populations, despite supporters’ claims that these technologies are essential for public safety. The present administration’s use of information technology to carry out deportations is examined in this essay, along with the ethical, privacy, and security consequences of these technologies.
There are ethical concerns surrounding the Trump administration’s 2025 deportation campaign, particularly as information systems and executive rhetoric converge to justify large-scale removals. During a high-profile case involving the revocation of over 300 student visas for foreign nationals allegedly participating in pro-Palestinian protests, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the policy, stating, “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses” (Wise). The case of Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student arrested by masked federal agents, heightened concern that immigration enforcement may be used to punish political dissent rather than uphold the law. Trump has described undocumented immigrants as “not civilians” and likened their presence to a military invasion, suggesting the use of police or military forces in future raids (Wolf). This rhetoric frames migrants not as individuals seeking opportunity but as threats, which undermines the obligation to treat all people with dignity and due process.
From an ethical standpoint, these practices call for scrutiny. Social work ethicist Eric Levine argues that immigration systems driven by control rather than compassion function as tools of exclusion and coercion. He writes, “Morally desirable outcomes are important, but they are not all that matter. We also care how they are achieved” (Levine 115). Ethical immigration policy requires more than outcomes; it demands methods grounded in justice, respect, and human rights. These concerns are amplified by the administration’s use of technology. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is developing a master database that consolidates biometric data, tax records, employment history, and government program participation to track undocumented immigrants (Kelly and Elliott). This system could reduce individuals to data points, enabling impersonal enforcement and increasing the risk of bias and misidentification. Additionally, fast-track deportations and efforts to eliminate protections like Temporary Protected Status reflect a policy focused on speed and volume over fairness and individualized assessment (Uribe). While supporters view these actions as necessary to uphold the rule of law, their scope and execution raise serious concerns about equity, proportionality, and democratic values.
The Trump administration’s deportation agenda depends on the mass integration of sensitive personal data across agencies, raising privacy concerns for both undocumented immigrants and American citizens. Central to this system is Palantir’s $30 million Immigration Lifecycle Operating System— “ImmigrationOS” —a platform being developed to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near real-time visibility into self-deportations and visa overstays, including targeting individuals based on biometric and behavioral data (Haskins). In parallel, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has gained access to the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s database of immigration court records, which includes personal, legal, and asylum information on millions of individuals (King). This access allows non-legal personnel to search and potentially act on sensitive data typically reserved for court adjudicators. These technologies are part of a broader interagency initiative that grants DOGE and DHS access to records from the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Medicare systems. According to reporting by International Business Times, the government has begun using this data to identify and remove undocumented individuals from employment and housing, even when the data was originally collected under confidentiality for unrelated services like tax filing or rental assistance (Villarroel).
These developments have caused concern among legal experts and civil rights advocates. Immigration enforcement now relies on tools designed to sift through biometric markers, citizenship data, tax records, and medical or housing claims. Where does immigration control end and total surveillance begin? Tanya Broder of the National Immigration Law Center warns, “It’s not only about one subgroup of people, it’s really about all of us,” citing the erosion of trust in public services when personal data is repurposed for enforcement (Villarroel).
The Trump administration frames its expanding data infrastructure as essential for national security. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) describes its $30 million partnership with Palantir to build ImmigrationOS as “urgent and compelling,” citing its ability to identify violent criminals, gang members, and visa overstays (Haskins). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) supports this logic, stating that cross-agency data integration helps detect public safety threats, prevent benefit fraud, and maintain accurate voter rolls (Villarroel).
Some argue that these systems often sweep in non-criminals and low-risk individuals while delivering limited results. According to Reuters, ICE arrests surged in early 2025, with a 500 percent increase in detaining immigrants without criminal records, yet only 37,660 individuals were deported in the first month—far below Biden-era averages (Hesson). Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access to the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s court system (King), prompting concerns about the use of legal data for predictive enforcement or surveillance. Even if data systems offer strategic benefits, critics question whether such modest outcomes justify a surveillance apparatus that could fundamentally alter how personal information is used across government.
The Trump administration’s use of advanced information systems in its deportation strategy has introduced complex ethical, privacy, and security dilemmas. While supporters argue these technologies enhance national safety and restore integrity to immigration enforcement, the evidence reveals a more troubling reality. From revoked student visas to platforms like ImmigrationOS, government methods have raised concerns about due process, surveillance overreach, and eroding public trust. The interagency use of data, which was originally collected for taxes, healthcare, or housing, shows how systems built for public service can be repurposed for punitive ends. Though national security is a valid concern, the outcomes—limited deportation results and increased arrests of non-criminals—challenge the need for such invasive practices. As these systems expand, we must ask whether the tools meant to enforce the law are undermining the values they claim to protect. The balance of security and justice in our nation requires careful consideration, and the systems we build now will shape that balance for years to come.
Alvarez, Priscilla, et al. “Trump’s Deportation Plan Begins to Take Shape as Immigrant Communities Face ‘Fear and Uncertainty.’” CNN, 22 Jan. 2025, www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/us/trump-deportation-plan-what-we-know-hnk/index.html.
Haskins, Caroline. “ICE Is Paying Palantir $30 Million to Build ‘ImmigrationOS’ Surveillance Platform.” WIRED, 18 Apr. 2025, www.wired.com/story/ice-palantir-immigrationos-contract/.
Hesson, Ted. “Trump’s Early Immigration Enforcement Record, by the Numbers.” Reuters, 28 Mar. 2025, www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-early-immigration-enforcement-record-by-numbers-2025-03-28/.
Kelly, Makena, and Vittoria Elliott. “DOGE Is Building a Master Database to Surveil and Track Immigrants.” WIRED, 18 Apr. 2025, www.wired.com/story/doge-access-immigration-data-department-of-labor.
King, Jordan. “DOGE Gets Access to Sensitive Data for Millions of Migrants: What To Know.” Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025, www.newsweek.com/doge-access-data-migrants-department-justice-elon-musk-2062429.
Levine, Eric. “Toward a Critical Social Work Ethics of Immigration, Migration, and Human Rights.” International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, vol. 21, no. 1, 2024, pp. 98–136. https://doi.org/10.55521/10-021-109.
Uribe, Maria Ramirez. “What Has Donald Trump Done toward His Mass Deportation Promise?” PolitiFact, 4 Mar. 2025, www.politifact.com/article/2025/mar/04/what-has-donald-trump-done-toward-his-mass-deporta.
Villarroel, Maria. “How DOGE and Federal Agencies Are Accessing Migrant Information to Oust Them from Jobs, Housing and More.” International Business Times, 16 Apr. 2025, www.ibtimes.com/how-doge-federal-agencies-are-accessing-migrant-information-oust-them-jobs-housing-more-3770286.
Wise, Alana. “Trump Administration Advances Immigration Crackdown on Foreign Student Protesters.” NPR, 28 Mar. 2025, www.npr.org/2025/03/28/immigration-student-protesters-visa-revoked.
Wolf, Zachary B. “Donald Trump Explains His Militaristic Plan to Deport 15–20 Million People.” CNN Politics, 1 May 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/05/01/politics/trump-immigration-what-matters/index.html.