ICE Bought Vehicles Equipped With Fake Cell Towers To Spy On Phones
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones, raising new questions about government surveillance and privacy rights. According to federal records, the agency paid $825,000 earlier this year for vehicles designed to mimic cellphone towers—technology capable of tracking and intercepting data from nearby mobile devices.
Image Credits:Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg / Getty Images
ICE’s Secret Surveillance Deal
Public records show that the May 8 contract “provides Cell Site Simulator (CSS) Vehicles to support the Homeland Security Technical Operations program.” It was listed as a modification for “additional CSS Vehicles,” confirming ICE’s ongoing investment in covert surveillance tools.
The deal was made with TechOps Specialty Vehicles (TOSV), a Maryland-based company known for building law enforcement vehicles with advanced technology. This follows a similar $818,000 contract between TOSV and ICE signed in September 2024, showing that the partnership predates the current administration.
What Are These Fake Cell Towers?
The so-called fake cell towers, or cell-site simulators, are devices that impersonate legitimate cellphone towers. They trick nearby phones into connecting to them, allowing authorities to track locations and sometimes intercept communications. These tools—often called “Stingrays”—have been controversial for years due to their potential for mass surveillance and privacy violations.
TOSV president Jon Brianas told TechCrunch via email that he couldn’t discuss the ICE contracts, citing “trade secrets.” However, he confirmed that his company integrates cell-site simulators into its vehicle designs, though it does not manufacture the devices directly.
“We don’t manufacture electrical, comms, and technology components—we integrate that product into our overall design,” Brianas said, declining to disclose the source of the simulators.
A Growing Pattern Of Surveillance
This latest revelation sheds light on the expanding use of spy technology by ICE, particularly in operations related to deportation and immigration enforcement. The purchase of vehicles equipped with fake cell towers underscores how federal agencies continue to adopt surveillance tools with limited public oversight.
Earlier reports from Forbes revealed that ICE used a cell-site simulator to track down a suspect allegedly involved in gang activity. The suspect had reportedly been ordered to leave the U.S. in 2023. Forbes also found evidence of a contract for “cell site simulator vehicles,” though it didn’t identify the supplier—now confirmed to be TOSV.
Privacy Advocates Sound The Alarm
Civil liberties groups have long warned that cell-site simulators can collect data from innocent bystanders, not just intended targets. Without strict oversight, they argue, these surveillance methods could lead to unwarranted tracking and data collection on U.S. citizens.
“This technology blurs the line between targeted surveillance and dragnet spying,” one privacy advocate noted. “When ICE buys vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones, it impacts everyone’s digital rights.”
Lack Of Transparency Fuels Concern
While agencies like ICE claim such tools are used only for criminal investigations, the lack of transparency surrounding these contracts fuels skepticism. Few details are available about how data collected from these simulators is stored, shared, or deleted.
The contracts with TOSV highlight the growing relationship between private tech manufacturers and federal law enforcement, where advanced surveillance tools are increasingly built into mobile command units and field vehicles.
The discovery that ICE bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones marks another step in the evolution of government surveillance. As privacy debates intensify, experts are calling for stronger transparency, regulation, and oversight to ensure that such technologies are not used to infringe on citizens’ rights.
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