MINNEAPOLIS — Protesters and some lawmakers trained new attention this week on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracting after a second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis intensified scrutiny of Department of Homeland Security funding and sharpened political pressure ahead of looming shutdown threats.
Palantir, AT&T and Deloitte hold the largest ICE contracts among private companies cited in recent procurement listings, with agreements tied to the agency’s investigative case management, IT network support and data modernization work.
The focus centers on federal contracting and political oversight, not any change to immigration rules, as critics argue that funding choices shape what ICE can do operationally and how quickly it can do it.
Private-sector contractors play an outsized role in how ICE runs investigations, manages information and keeps core technology systems working day to day, even as budget debates concentrate on the agency’s overall funding levels.
Palantir Technologies holds a $139.3 million contract awarded in 2022 for investigative case management operations, maintenance support and custom enhancements, a scope that places it at the center of how agents organize and track investigative work.
AT&T holds a $90.7 million contract awarded in 2021 for ICE IT network products and support, with contract terms described as “potential up to $165.2 million,” and a performance period set to expire in September with a possible extension to 2032.
Deloitte holds a $24 million contract awarded in 2023 for data modernization support through 2027, part of several multi-year contracts tied to ICE technology and data work.
Contract figures listed in federal procurement often reflect a maximum potential value rather than what the government ultimately spends, a distinction that can be easy to miss when a single dollar amount travels online without the surrounding terms.
Agencies commonly structure agreements with a base period plus option years or extensions, allowing officials to keep services going without renegotiating every year, while also preserving the ability to scale work up or down within the boundaries set by the contract.
That dynamic shows up in network and systems support contracts like AT&T’s, where performance periods and potential extension windows can matter as much as the initial award, particularly when the work involves keeping existing infrastructure running rather than delivering a single one-time product.
For software and data services deals like Palantir’s, the listed purpose points to ongoing upkeep as well as development work, combining maintenance support with “custom enhancements” that typically require continued access to agency users, systems and evolving operational needs.
Data modernization contracts like Deloitte’s often unfold in phases across multiple years, with work that can include planning, implementation and iterative improvement, a structure that can persist even as political oversight intensifies and funding debates rise and fall.
Beyond the top three contractors, the procurement picture includes smaller but operationally meaningful deals that shape what tools ICE staff can use at workstations and in investigations.
Dell’s government arm received $18.8 million in April 2025 for Microsoft Enterprise software licenses to support ICE’s Chief Information Officer, a type of enterprise licensing purchase that underpins everyday government IT environments by standardizing access to widely used software across offices.
L3 Harris received $4.4 million in 2022 for equipment to locate targeted mobile handsets in crime and threat investigations, a specialized capability that can support investigative work even when the dollar figure sits far below the agency’s largest technology contracts.
Such smaller agreements can still have outsized effects inside an agency because they provide specific capabilities, from licensed software that staff rely on to tools designed for niche investigative tasks.
The renewed scrutiny arrives as protests in Minneapolis and beyond call for federal officials to halt funding for ICE after the Minneapolis incident, framing the contracting question as part of a broader argument about whether DHS should continue financing the agency’s operations at current levels.
Employee activism has also pushed the issue into corporate workplaces, with over 250 employees at tech firms including Amazon, Palantir, Google and Tesla urging their employers to cancel ICE contracts.
In Washington, Senate Democrats discussed the idea of blocking DHS funding as leverage, linking the budget fight to objections over ICE’s immigration crackdown and the broader debate over how to respond to the agency’s actions.
Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, tied the funding discussion to shutdown dynamics in a post on X that cited a procedural hurdle:
“While this administration continues these violent federal takeovers of our cities, the government could shut down shortly after midnight Saturday should the package fail to reach the required 60 votes.”
Funding uncertainty can complicate agency planning and vendor performance even when contracts stay in place, because contractors often align staffing and schedules to expected appropriations and tasking.
Shutdown threats and short-term funding measures can also add friction to long-range IT efforts, where agencies depend on continuity for network support, case management tools and multi-year data work.
Option years and extension clauses become especially consequential in those moments, because they allow agencies to keep core technology services running while political leaders debate broader budget questions.
The AT&T contract’s potential extension to 2032 illustrates how long performance periods can stretch when an agency relies on ongoing network products and support, even as the scheduled expiration in September puts a nearer-term marker on the calendar.
Deloitte’s contract running through 2027 similarly places a time boundary around a piece of ICE’s data modernization work, while Palantir’s 2022 award reflects a more recent cycle of investment in investigative case management operations, maintenance support and custom enhancements.
What happens next hinges on official DHS budget actions and contracting updates that can clarify how ICE plans to sustain technology services under funding pressure, as public protests, employee demands and Senate debate keep the agency’s contracting footprint in the spotlight.
Palantir AT&T Deloitte Face Scrutiny Over Biggest ICE Contracts
Heightened scrutiny follows a fatal federal shooting in Minneapolis, focusing on ICE’s reliance on private contractors like Palantir, AT&T, and Deloitte. These firms provide essential IT and investigative tools under multi-year agreements worth hundreds of millions. Political tension is rising as lawmakers consider blocking DHS funding during shutdown talks, while corporate activism grows among tech workers demanding an end to ICE partnerships.
