ICE bought vehicles equipped with fake cell towers to spy on phones 

The United States of Immigration and Customs (ICE) paid $ 825,000 earlier this year to a company that manufactures vehicles equipped with various law enforcement technologies, including fake mobile phones known as “cell site simulations”, which can be used to spy on nearby phones.

According to the public records, the prize dated May 8 “provides cell site simulation vehicles (CSS) to support the technical operations program for internal security”, which is to modify “additional CSS vehicles”.

The contract was signed with Techops Speciality Operty (TOSV), a company based in Maryland. TOSV also signed a similar contract with ICE in September 2024 for $ 818,000, indicating that the relationship between the agency and the company precedes the Trump administration.

TOSV president John Brinas told Techcrunch in an email that he could not provide details about ICE contracts and vehicles, noting “commercial secrets”. But Brinas confirmed that the company provides simulations for the cell site, although it does not make it.

“We do not manufacture electrical, comments, and technology technology in our general design of the car,” said Braianas, who refused to say in terms of TOSV coding.

This is the latest federal contract that reveals some technologies that work on the Trump administration deportation campaign.

In early September, Forbes found a recently achieved inspection note that showed that Ice used simulation at the cell site to track down a person who was claiming that he was part of a criminal gang in the United States, whose order was issued to leave the country in 2023. In the article, Forbes also found a contract for the cell site simulation vehicles, “but the article did not provide the company that provides grease to the agency.

The cell site simulations also pass the name “Stingrays” because some of the previous species of these devices, which were made by the Harris defense contractor (now L3HARRIS), were called this way. Since then, STINGRIS has become a comprehensive name for this type of technology, also known as IMSI fishermen. (IMSI means the identity of international subscribers for mobile phones, a unique number that determines every mobile phone user in the world.)

As the name suggests, it can simulate the cell phone site simulation tools, and deceive each phone in its nearby range to connect to the device, thus giving the law application the ability to determine the real world location of these phones and their owners.

Some cell site simulations can also intercept regular calls, text messages and online traffic.

The authorities can obtain data from traditional mobile phones to find the current or previous site for the suspect, but the site is usually very inaccurate.

The STINGRAY -like devices were used by law enforcement for more than a decade and have long been controversial because the authorities do not always get an order to use them, and critics say these devices mock innocent people virtual. These devices are also in secrecy, because the law enforcement agencies that you use are subject to strict agreements other than revealing how the devices work.

Ice has a long history of using the cell site simulation devices. In 2020, documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union showed that ICE was published at least 466 times between 2017 and 2019. The agency has used these tools more than 1885 times between 2013 and 2017, according to documents obtained by Buzzfeed News at that time.

ICE admitted a request to comment, but it did not answer a series of questions, which included: What ICE uses these compounds, whether it has been published recently, and whether the agency has always got a simulation order at the cell site.

From monitoring trucks to Bookmobiles

The headquarters of TOSV, which is headquartered outside Washington, DC, is a wide range of custom -enforceable vehicles, such as Swat armed response teams, bombs, and so -called “Mobile Lab” and “Cover Monitoring” vehicles.

Among these vehicles for the police forces, TOSV recounts many “projects”, including one described as DHS forensic laboratories, in reference to the Ministry of Internal Security.

According to the website, these forensic trucks are “equipped to analyze and document forensic medicine on the site”, which have “safe cabinets to maintain evidence and investigation”, and enable “smooth status files updates and record evidence.”

Another project is Van DHS Mobile Command, “which Tosv says it is” formative for advanced monitoring and coordinating the task. ”

It is not clear whether these trucks are the same vehicles that include simulation devices for the cell site, as there is no mention of the phone monitor anywhere on the TOSV website.

Ice has other contracts with TOSV for mobile forensic laboratories, which do not specify the technologies in trucks.

According to its website, TOSV also sells the so -called “Bookmobiles”, which appear to be libraries on wheels, as well as fire management vehicles.