DHS Is Hiring Bounty Hunters to Find and Photograph Deported People’s Homes Abroad
The Department of Homeland Security is hiring private contractors to track and photograph the homes of deported immigrants abroad to enforce collection of massive fines. Critics argue these measures, which include wage garnishment and credit damage, lack due process and are designed to intimidate individuals.
Why it matters
This program represents an aggressive expansion of US immigration enforcement beyond national borders, raising significant legal and ethical concerns regarding privacy and due process.
The documents, which cap the so-called Tracing and Payment Recovery Services program at $9 million over the next two years, call for “commercial data verification and physical observation services” to confirm where each person lives. They list photographs of the home as acceptable evidence, along with records such as utility bills, employment files, court documents, or, if the person has died, a death certificate.
The US government will also accept other documentation, so long as it deems it “relevant and credible.” Contractors are also required to deliver a printed flyer, approved by the US government and printed in English and Spanish, listing outstanding fines and fees CBP claims they owe.
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