DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Considers Private Bounty Hunters for Immigrant Tracking Amid Large-Scale Deportation Plans

The Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem is considering hiring private contractors, described as "private bounty hunters," to help track down undocumented immigrants. A leaked DHS document reveals a plan to outsource "Skip Tracing and Process Serving Services" to locate immigrants who have disappeared, using government data and potentially assigning contractors up to one million cases. The proposal includes an incentive-based pricing structure offering monetary bonuses for locating individuals quickly or accurately, which resembles a performance-based system similar to bounty hunting. While these contractors would not perform arrests, they would confirm home and work addresses of immigrants for ICE to act upon. This move follows an increase in federal immigration enforcement actions, which has sparked protests nationwide and calls from officials like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to pause operations during sensitive periods. The plan has links to earlier proposals by private military contractors, including allies of President Donald Trump, aiming to expand private sector involvement in immigration enforcement.