Mobile network anomalies consistent with cell phone surveillance were detected at a July 4 protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Washington state. Those anomalies, according to an independent analysis by Straight Arrow News, suggest that a device known as an IMSI catcher may have been used to collect identifying information on cell phones at the protest site.
ICE did not respond to requests for comment from SAN. It is not clear whether ICE or any other law enforcement agency obtained a warrant to use an IMSI catcher — commonly referred to as a “Stingray” — to conduct surveillance.
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The ICE field office in Tukwila, Washington, a Seattle suburb, has been the site of repeated protests over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. When an estimated 200 protesters gathered outside the facility on June 14, local police officers used pepper spray to break up the demonstration. Far fewer protesters came to the facility on July 4.
Federal law enforcement agencies may use IMSI catchers without a warrant only in “exigent” or “exceptional