Quiz

Question 10

Have you ever been arrested or incarcerated for an immigration violation?

Because you were arrested for an immigration violation

If you were ever arrested or incarcerated for an immigration violation, you might be flagged by criminalizing databases and systems like NCICOpens in new tab and NletsOpens in new tab during a database check conducted by a non-immigration cop.

Your fingerprints (and possibly other biometric data) could also be found in IDENT/HARTOpens in new tab. That would be reason enough for ICE to ask a jail to hold you for them to investigate you.

Some datasets you may have records in, in addition to the ones listed above, are EIDOpens in new tab, TECS/ICMOpens in new tab, ATSOpens in new tab, and ACRIMeOpens in new tab.

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been no, click the no button.

Even if you have never come into contact with immigration police, you might have biographical and/or biometric records stored in potentially criminalizing datasets accessible to ICE and other law enforcement.

If you applied or received a U.S. immigrant or non-immigrant visa, your biometrics are stored in Department of State and DHS databases. You are also subjected to “continuous vetting” by predictive algorithms.

If you applied for asylum at the US-Mexico border recently, your DNA is on file.

If you sponsor a family member, your information may be shared with ICE. During the Trump administration, HHS-run shelters were mandated to share data about sponsors of unaccompanied migrants with DHS.

ICE may be keeping tabs on you via databases that store travel records and visas. These can identify “overstay leads,” which may flag you if you travel internationally or otherwise come to DHS’ attention.

Some datasets used may include ESTA, CISOpens in new tab, CLAIMS 3 & 4Opens in new tab, PCQSOpens in new tab, ATSOpens in new tab, SEVISOpens in new tab, TECS/ICMOpens in new tab, NGIOpens in new tab, IDENT/HARTOpens in new tab, CCD, ADISOpens in new tab, and AFIOpens in new tab.

To see what databases would track you if your answer had been yes, click the yes button.

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Of the 13 monsters in this quiz, it looks like your data may be tracked by the following:

But there may be other smaller surveillance databases not covered in the quiz.

You may be asking yourself "What can we do?".

What now?

To learn more, check out the full From Data Criminalization to Prison Abolition Report.

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More about this quiz

There is no single database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can consult to find a list of everyone they are able to deport.

As a workaround, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cross-checks many existing datasets. They use information from international visitors, visa holders, and arrest and conviction records. These datasets are not always reliable  at determining legal status. They are also deeply flawed, racist, and xenophobic.

More and more, DHS buys data from corporations to supplement their own databases. They can buy archives of location history, face and voice recognition files, and iris scans. Artificial intelligence tools use this data to predict behavior and infer relationships between people, places, and objects (like vehicles).

We spent months researching databases and data-sharing. But contractors and technologies change all the time, and many government data systems are shrouded in secrecy. We do not claim that the databases listed here make up a complete list, nor is it possible to make that list. Rather, we hope that this tool hints at the tangled and complex web of data extraction and criminalization.

The fight against migrant exploitation, racist border securitization, and deportation is a fight against data criminalization. It is a fight for collective self-determination and data liberation. Read more in our full report.