ICE Director Denies Existence of Database Tracking US Citizens

Why It Matters

The ICE denial addresses civil‑liberties and oversight concerns that could spur further congressional inquiries and policy scrutiny of immigration enforcement practices. The cyber alert signals elevated risk to energy-sector operations and presses owners and operators to urgently shore up OT/ICS and edge-device defenses to prevent disruptive attacks.

Summary

Acting ICE director Todd Lyons told the House Homeland Security Committee there is no ICE database tracking U.S. citizens, rejecting claims fueled by think-tank reports and a viral clip of an agent in Maine. DHS public affairs reiterated the department does not run a domestic-terrorism database, while noting it monitors and refers threats and assaults on officers to law enforcement. Separately, the U.S. cybersecurity agency issued an alert after Poland reported a December destructive cyberattack on its power grid—an operation Poland linked to a Russian government‑linked hacking group that targeted wind and photovoltaic farms. The agency warned U.S. critical infrastructure operators to harden operational technology, industrial control systems and vulnerable edge devices.

Original Description

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s top official rejected claims from lawmakers Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security component is building a database for protesters. The alleged detractor database has been referenced in several reports by think tanks, letters to DHS officials from lawmakers and in interviews with border czar Tom Homan. During Tuesday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., cited a well-circulated clip of an ICE agent in Portland, Maine, telling a person videotaping that she would be added to a “nice little database.” “I can’t speak for that individual,” said Todd Lyons, who serves as acting director of ICE. “But I can assure you that there is no database that’s tracking United States citizens.”

A recent attempt at a destructive cyberattack on Poland’s power grid has prompted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to publish a warning for U.S. critical infrastructure owners and operators. Tuesday’s alert follows a Jan. 30 report from Poland’s Computer Emergency Response Team concluded the December attack overlapped significantly with infrastructure used by a Russian government-linked hacking group, and that it targeted 30 wind and photovoltaic farms, among others. CISA said its warning was meant to “amplify” that Polish report.

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Articles Mentioned

• Acting ICE director denies existence of database tracking US citizens via FedScoop: https://fedscoop.com/ice-dhs-database-surveillance-technology-hearing/

• After major Poland energy grid cyberattack, CISA issues warning to U.S. audience via CyberScoop: https://cyberscoop.com/cisa-warning-russian-cyberattack-poland-power-grid/

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