Wired: DHS Pays Contractors to Photograph Deported People's Homes Abroad

Wired reported August 10, 2026 that DHS and ICE have established a privatized surveillance apparatus extending beyond U.S. borders: contractors are paid to physically photograph the homes and workplaces of deported individuals abroad, tracking them after removal. The program is corroborated by ICE skip-tracing dossiers obtained via FOIA.

The post-removal tracking network extends the domestic surveillance architecture documented at 2026-02-19–dhs-signs-billion-dollar-palantir-ice-surveillance-contract and 2026-04-01–immigrationos-palantir-tracking-us-citizens-medicaid-irs-dmv past the point of deportation — combined with previously reported phone-hacking and AI surveillance tools, it establishes a documented global footprint with no disclosed oversight framework, following individuals from domestic databases through removal to their home countries.