"Cell-site simulators ICE has a technology known as cell-site simulators to snoop on cellphones. These surveillance devices, as the name suggests, are designed to appear as a cellphone tower, tricking nearby phones to connect to them. Once that happens, the law enforcement authorities who are using the cell-site simulators can locate and identify the phones in their vicinity, and potentially intercept calls, text messages, and internet traffic."
"Cell-site simulators are also known as "stingrays," based on the brand name of one of the earliest versions of the technology, which was made by U.S. defense contractor Harris (now L3Harris); or IMSI catchers, a technology that can capture a nearby cell phone's unique identifier which law enforcement can use for identifying the phone's owner. In the last two years, ICE has signed contracts for more than $1.5 million with a company called TechOps Specialty Vehicles (TOSV), which produces customized vans for law enforcement."
President Donald Trump prioritized countering immigration during a second-term agenda and ICE and CBP deported more than 350,000 people within a year. ICE led mass removal operations that included raids on homes, workplaces, and public parks, prompting widespread protests and community resistance. Homeland Security used deportation efforts to press practices such as forcible home entries without judicial warrants, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. ICE relies on surveillance tools, including cell-site simulators (also called stingrays or IMSI catchers) that mimic cell towers to locate phones, identify users, and potentially intercept communications. ICE also contracted over $1.5 million for customized enforcement vans.
Read at TechCrunch
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