Thomson Reuters data aids Palantir and ICE in targeted deportation efforts

Thomson Reuters provides foundational personal data for tools utilized by Palantir and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with emerging evidence suggesting this data now aids a Palantir system used to identify specific neighborhoods for enforcement actions.

According to documents and sources obtained by 404 Media, the media company—which also functions as a data broker—conducts business with ICE under its “CLEAR” brand. This work involves the sale of data that can include names, addresses, vehicle registration information, Social Security numbers, and details regarding an individual’s ethnicity.

The revelation follows a signed letter sent to management by Thomson Reuters employees expressing concerns over the company’s contracts with ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“If these allegations are true, they directly contradict Thomson Reuters’ claims that its products and services are limited to fighting serious crime and do not facilitate deportations,” said Emma Pullman, head of shareholder relations and responsible investment at the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU). The BCGEU is a minority shareholder in Thomson Reuters and recently contacted the company regarding its work with ICE.

An internal Palantir wiki page obtained by 404 Media revealed that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit within ICE that has shifted its focus toward immigration enforcement, used a Palantir-developed system called FALCON before transitioning to its own internal tool. A former Palantir employee stated that the Thomson Reuters CLEAR system was specifically utilized within this FALCON framework.

In 2025, Palantir said it became a “more mature partner for ICE” as the company began working on other systems during mass deportation efforts. These included a tool uncovered by 404 Media in January called Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement (ELITE).

ELITE populates maps with potential deportation targets, generates files on each individual, and assigns a “confidence score” regarding a person’s current address. An ICE official testified that this tool was used before authorities detained more than 30 people in what lawyers characterized as a “mass raid.”

Internal ICE documents showed that ELITE obtained these addresses from various sources, including government agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The documents also identified “CLEAR” as a source for the addresses. Two DHS sources believe this refers to the Thomson Reuters CLEAR system.

Thomson Reuters data is also mentioned in documents related to Mobile Companion, an application developed by Motorola to query license plate scans. ICE recently sent a message regarding this tool to all personnel within ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a unit specifically focused on deportations.

The document sent to ICE stated that users could further empower their investigations by combining Thomson Reuters data with Motorola’s license plate reader network.

“Thomson Reuters CLEAR helps bring vehicle-related investigations to a more precise level by combining comprehensive public and private data with nationwide license plate data obtained from Motorola Solutions’ secure shared data network,” the document says.

404 Media made multiple attempts to obtain a comment from Thomson Reuters regarding this report. Initially, Thomson Reuters said it would provide “background information” via email, but later specified this would be material “you can use in your article, but you cannot attribute to Thomson Reuters.”

In procurement documents accessible online, DHS says: “CLEAR is vital to the mission-critical and time-sensitive investigative work of many DHS units, as it makes it easier to find individuals, assets, businesses, links, and other critical facts.”

“Without this data, DHS could not identify targets associated with criminal organizations, terrorism, and immigration fraud as quickly,” the documents state.

These records show that CLEAR data can include an individual’s name, address, date of birth, telephone records, driver’s license, motor vehicle registrations, Social Security number, marital status, and household information such as household members, as well as details regarding public social media accounts.

In March, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported it had interviewed six Thomson Reuters employees working in Eagan, where the company maintains one of its largest US offices and where many employee duties relate to CLEAR.

One employee reportedly said, “People are concerned about the role their work plays in what is happening,” referring to “Operation Metro Surge,” a DHS operation focused on Minnesota during which authorities killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti.

The newspaper reported that approximately 180 employees sent a letter to Thomson Reuters management expressing concerns and questioning the company’s oversight of DHS and ICE contracts. The New York Times later reported that more than 200 employees signed the letter.

The Minnesota Star Tribune also quoted an internal Thomson Reuters memo from Kevin Appold, vice president of projects and US public records.

“We prohibit our customers from using CLEAR to identify or locate undocumented immigrants who have not committed a crime,” the memo read.