The Bill That Ends Anonymity: Why ‘Big Beautiful’ Might Be the Most Dangerous Law in America

By Pat Trevino
Cuero Online News | July 3, 2025

In the age of artificial intelligence and predictive policing, the line between national security and civil liberty is growing dangerously thin. At the center of this debate stands Palantir Technologies, a data analytics firm whose software is now deeply embedded in U.S. immigration enforcement—and poised to expand into local law enforcement across the country.

From Immigration to Infiltration

Palantir’s latest contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a $30 million initiative called ImmigrationOS, a platform that gives ICE “near real-time visibility” into the lives of immigrants and their families. It integrates biometric data, financial records, travel patterns, and even social media activity to build detailed profiles of individuals, many of whom have not committed any crime.

While Palantir claims it does not conduct deportations, its tools are used to identify, track, and facilitate the removal of undocumented individuals, often sweeping in U.S. citizens connected to them. In Mississippi, for example, Palantir’s software was used in mass workplace raids that separated hundreds of families.

The Risk of Expansion

What happens when this technology—originally designed for counterterrorism and immigration enforcement—is handed to local police departments?

Documents show that Palantir’s platforms are already being used by state and local agencies to share license plate data, DMV records, and arrest histories with federal authorities. In sanctuary cities, this has allowed ICE to bypass local protections and detain individuals as they leave jails or attend court hearings.

If expanded further, this infrastructure could be used to monitor political activists, journalists, or anyone deemed “suspicious” by a future administration. The same tools that track undocumented immigrants today could be used to suppress dissent tomorrow.

As one protester in Palo Alto put it:

“Today, Palantir and the Trump administration are targeting immigrants. Tomorrow, it’ll be anyone who disagrees with the MAGA agenda.  The day after that it will be anyone who disagrees with whoever is in power.”

No One Is Safe

The danger isn’t just theoretical. Palantir’s CEO has admitted that the company’s software is used “on occasion to kill people” in military operations. And leaked documents show that ICE agents use Palantir’s mobile apps to scan fingerprints, extract phone data, and track family relationships in the field.

This level of surveillance—once the stuff of dystopian fiction—is now a reality. And if it falls into the wrong hands, or is abused by corrupt officials, it could be used to destroy families, silence critics, and erode the very freedoms it claims to protect.

Profiting from Deportation

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that high-ranking political officials are financially invested in Palantir’s success.

• Stephen Miller, Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff and architect of the mass deportation agenda, owns up to $250,000 in Palantir stock.
• At least 11 other White House officials hold shares in the company.
• Members of Congress—including Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)—have also traded Palantir stock in recent months.

These financial ties raise serious ethical concerns. When lawmakers and executive officials profit from the very surveillance systems they help expand, the incentive to protect civil liberties disappears.

A Call for Oversight—and a Line in the Sand

Palantir insists it is not building a “master database” and that its tools are used within legal boundaries. But history tells us that surveillance powers are rarely rolled back—and often abused. From COINTELPRO to PRISM, the U.S. has repeatedly turned its tools inward, targeting the very people it claims to protect.

The passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” would be a turning point—and not for the better.

This bill doesn’t just unlock funding for defense and AI infrastructure; it gives agencies like ICE and their tech partners a green light to expand surveillance deeper into American life—into schools, courthouses, workplaces, and eventually our neighborhoods.

Once this infrastructure spreads to local law enforcement—as it’s poised to do—families across this country, especially in vulnerable or marginalized communities, could find themselves pulled into the dragnet with no warning and no recourse.

This is not just about immigration. It’s about total access to our lives. And it’s why this bill must not pass.

Because in a world where data is power, no one is truly safe.

Also read: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/police-surveillance-and-facial-recognition-why-data-privacy-is-an-imperative-for-communities-of-color/