Palo Alto’s Palantir renews controversial contract with ICE

Deal to provide software to federal agency extended for up to 3 years; activists react

A Palantir contract to provide technology to U.S. immigration authorities has been renewed for up to three years, according to a government document made public this week.

The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement approved the renewal July 22, the document shows. How much the government is paying Palantir for the software, which is used to track migrants at the border, was redacted.

However, selecting the redacted text in the PDF posted online shows the following total amount: $49,874,018.14. That’s about $16 million the first year, more than $14.7 million the second year and $14.8 million the third, plus “enhancement costs” of $2.4 million and $1.6 million for the second and third years, respectively, according to the redacted and selected text.

The contract, which was first awarded in 2014, had been set to expire next month. It calls for funding to continue using Palantir’s Gotham software, which is propriety and can only be maintained by the company. Citing the capabilities of Gotham’s Investigative Case Management system, the document states that the contracting officer could find no other comparable product.

Palantir has not returned a request for comment.

On Friday, dozens of protesters converged in front of Palantir’s headquarters in Palo Alto, urging the company to cancel its contract with ICE. That action followed one in July, which was attended by several hundred protesters.

Despite Palantir’s previous public statement that its technology is used only in criminal investigations, activists have pointed to documents showing that the company’s software is used in detainment and deportations. Activists have objected to what they say is inhumane treatment of migrants and the separation of families,