ICE reliance on Microsoft technology surged amid immigration crackdown, documents show | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Leaked documents have revealed that Microsoft deepened its reliance on cloud technology as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stepped up arrest and deportation operations last year.

According to the filings, ICE more than tripled the amount of data it stored on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in the six months through January 2026, as the agency’s budget increased and its workforce expanded rapidly.

ICE appears to be using various productivity tools from Microsoft, as well as AI-focused products, to search and analyze the data it keeps in Azure. The files suggest that some of the agency’s own tools and systems may also be running on Microsoft servers.

Documents obtained by the Guardian and partners +972 Magazine And Local Search – It raises questions about whether Microsoft technology is facilitating a crackdown on immigrants by an agency accused of conducting illegal operations and using excessive force on a large scale.

ICE enforcement operations have increased over the past year as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. The agency is now at the center of a battle in Congress over funding that was sparked by the deaths of two people in Minneapolis and led to a partial shutdown of the US government.

In July, ICE received a $75 billion budget increase. highest funded US law enforcement. With this unprecedented increase in funds, the agency spending spree Awarding tenders to large companies in technology palantir next to you less known providers.

ICE, which has been likened to a local surveillance agency, has access to vast amounts of data on people living in the United States. It has a growing feature arsenal including surveillance technology facial recognition applicationsphone location databases, drones and invasive spyware.

As the agency expands through 2025, reinforced Spending on cloud computing. Amazon and Microsoft, both long-time providers to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have emerged as beneficiaries of settlements worth tens of millions of dollars by third-party vendors.

The leaked documents do not specify the types of information ICE stores on Microsoft servers. But they note that the agency uses Azure services, including “blob storage” of raw data, as well as AI tools that analyze images and video and translate text.

In January, ICE stored almost 1,400 terabytes in Azure, according to filings; If this consisted only of photographs, it would be equivalent to approximately 490 million images. That figure rose to 400 terabytes in July 2025, after climbing in the second half of last year, according to the filings.

ICE also uses virtual machines on Azure, according to the documentation. These are effectively computers that run in the cloud but can be accessed remotely. ICE appears to be renting these high-powered computers to run the software.

The agency owns more than twice Since January 2025, the workforce is also understood to have significantly expanded access to Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps, which gives users access to document management tools and an AI chatbot.

It is not clear in the filings whether ICE uses Azure to store or analyze information collected through any surveillance or intelligence gathering activities, or whether the cloud platform supports other functions, such as running detention centers or deportation flights. ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for Microsoft said it “provides cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to DHS and ICE through our key partners.” They said Microsoft’s policies and terms of service “do not permit the use of our technology for mass surveillance of civilians, and we do not believe ICE is engaging in such activity.”

“There are many public issues related to immigration enforcement right now, and we believe Congress, the executive branch, and the courts have the opportunity to draw clear legal boundaries regarding the permissible use of emerging technologies by law enforcement,” the spokesperson added.

According to Microsoft sources, in recent months many employees have raised concerns internally about ICE’s use of the company’s technology, including filing internal ethics reports.

In December 2025, the company responded to such a report by stating that there were no existing contracts “supporting immigration enforcement.” The company later appeared to narrow this position. It acknowledged to employees that it has contracts with ICE and DHS but said it “does not currently maintain contracts for artificial intelligence services specifically tied to enforcement activities.”

Microsoft isn’t alone in experiencing employee unrest over its dealings with federal immigration authorities. ICE and its sister agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), of major U.S. tech groups, have long been customers but have become increasingly controversial due to their aggressive tactics and involvement in deadly shootings.

Amazon workers and activists last week protested outside the company’s Seattle headquarters, demanding that the company cut ties with federal immigration authorities. The company is leveraging a series of major cloud agreements with DHS to provide cloud infrastructure to ICE and CBP.

More than 1,300 employees recently signed a contract at Google, which provides cloud services to both organizations. petition with similar demands. “DHS violates civil and national law, as well as civil and human rights“We must end our complicity in giving them power,” the petition reads.

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