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U.S. Immigration and<\/span> Customs Enforcement has hired a subsidiary of for-profit prison company GEO Group to aid in hunting down immigrants at their homes and places of work, according to records reviewed by The Intercept.<\/p>\n ICE has secured a deal with surveillance firm BI Incorporated<\/a> as part of a new program, first reported in October by The Intercept<\/a>, to use private bounty hunters to determine the locations of immigrants in exchange for monetary bonuses.<\/p>\n BI, which was acquired by the GEO Group in 2011, is one of several firms hired by ICE to provide \u201cskip tracing\u201d services, in which its teams of corporate investigators will use surveillance to track immigrants across the country to their homes and places of work so federal agents can easily swoop in and make arrests.<\/p>\n Records show ICE has already paid BI $1.6 million, with the potential for the contract to grow to as much as $121 million by the time it concludes in 2027.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ICE\u2019s push to privatize its hunt for immigrants has drawn the scrutiny of Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who warned it \u201cinvites the very abuses, secrecy, and corruption our founders sought to prevent.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither BI Incorporated nor GEO Group immediately responded to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The deal illustrates a strategy of vertical integration within GEO Group, which has found a growing line of business operating for-profit immigration detention centers under the second Trump administration<\/a>. In this case, the corporation stands to be paid by the federal government to both find immigrants and then to imprison them.<\/p>\n Shares of GEO Group, which donated to both Trump\u2019s reelection campaign and his inaugural fund, spiked following his 2024 victory. Trump\u2019s return to office has proven fortuitous for GEO Group: The president\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d earmarked $45 billion for jailing immigrants. \u201cThis is a unique moment in our company\u2019s history,\u201d GEO Group CEO J. David Donahue told<\/a> investors in May, \u201cand we believe we are well-positioned to meet this unprecedented opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n GEO Group has faced decades of criticism over alleged mismanagement of its facilities and claims of rampant abuse<\/a> of inmates. In August, The Intercept reported the suicide<\/a> of a Chinese immigrant held at a GEO Group-operated prison in Pennsylvania. The American Civil Liberties Union filed<\/a> a federal complaint over the facility in July, criticizing \u201chorrific conditions\u201d at the prison, including repeated instances of medical neglect.<\/p>\n In 2023, GEO Group was hit by a class-action lawsuit<\/a> alleging the \u201cmonths-long poisoning\u201d from a chemical disinfectant of more than 1,300 inmates at a California immigration detention center. In May, Tufts University student R\u00fcmeysa \u00d6zt\u00fcrk, jailed for her criticism<\/a> of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, alleged her GEO Group-managed jail delayed treatment while she experienced an asthma attack.<\/p>\n The ICE contract record does not say whether BI would provide on-the-ground bounty hunting services, software-based investigative services, or a combination of both. ICE has previously told potential bounty hunting contractors, \u201cIt is dependent upon the vendor to complete the work required by contract,\u201d but \u201cShould a vendor choose to subcontract, that is at their discretion,\u201d according to procurement correspondence reviewed by The Intercept.<\/p>\n BI has a long history in immigrant surveillance, having received hundreds of millions of dollars from the government to date through past contracts for ankle monitor-based tracking. The company specializes in remote surveillance and person-monitoring services, including sales of GPS bracelets and other tracking devices. \u201cLocation tracking enables individuals to work and live in the community while being monitored closely for curfews, movement, and more,\u201d according to the company\u2019s website. \u201cBI offers ankle bracelet, wrist-worn, and mobile tracking solutions to meet the needs of varying risk levels.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n