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A military contractor<\/span> with a lineage going back to the notorious mercenary firm Blackwater will help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement track down a list of 1.5 million targeted immigrants across the country, according to records reviewed by The Intercept.<\/p>\n Federal procurement document show that on December 15, ICE inked a deal with Constellis Holdings to provide \u201cskip tracing\u201d services, tasking the company with hunting immigrants down and relaying their locations to ICE\u2019s Enforcement and Removal Operations wing for apprehension. <\/p>\n Under the terms of the Trump administration\u2019s skip tracing initiative, first reported<\/a> by The Intercept, contractors will receive monetary bounties in exchange for turning over the whereabouts of specified immigrants as quickly as possible, using whatever physical and digital surveillance tools they see fit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Constellis was formed in 2014 through the merger of Academi, previously known as Blackwater, and Triple Canopy, a rival mercenary contractor. The combined companies and their subsidiaries have reaped billions<\/a> from contracts for guarding foreign military installations, embassies, and domestic properties, along with work for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. spy agencies. <\/p>\n Blackwater, founded in 1997 by Erik Prince, renamed itself multiple times over the years after it sparked international scandal for its violent work in Iraq. In 2007, Blackwater mercenaries massacred 14 civilians in Baghdad<\/a>; several of its contractors serving prison sentences for the killings were pardoned by President Donald Trump<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n Prince resigned as CEO of Blackwater in 2009, and Constellis says it has no relationship with him.<\/p>\n Though there are no ties between them, Constellis\u2019s move to serve as a bounty hunter for ICE aligns with Prince\u2019s reported interest in privatizing immigration enforcement. <\/p>\n The government has so far paid Constellis $1.5 million, with the potential for the total to grow to more than $113 million.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n In February, Politico <\/a>reported that Prince \u2014 a longtime and steadfast Trump ally <\/a>\u2014 was among a group of military contractors who urged the federal government to employ a \u201cSkip Tracing Team\u201d and \u201cbounty program which provides a cash reward\u201d to incentivize the rapid tracking of immigrants. The proposal suggested that, due to a lack of federal manpower, ICE should deputize private citizens to help track down immigrants.<\/p>\n The Trump administration wound up hewing closely to the spirit of the proposal, earmarking over $1 billion<\/a> for skip tracing work, much of it going to companies with military and intelligence contracting experience like Constellis. Federal records show the government has so far paid Constellis $1.5 million, with the potential for the total to grow to more than $113 million by the contract\u2019s end in 2027.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n