The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spent $825,000 on cell site simulator vehicles.

In a May 8 contract first reported by TechCrunch, ICE acquired the vehicles from TechOps Specialty Vehicles. The federal agency signed a similar deal the year before, prior to President Donald Trump's expansion of ICE.

The 'Cell Site Simulator (CSS) Vehicles' act a fake cellular towers that allow operators to eavesdrop on any mobile phone that connects to it to make a call.

Active International Mobile Subscriber Identity (ISMI)-catchers can intercept more data from phones, and track their location. It is not clear what the capabilities of these CSS vehicles allow them to collect, but it could be used to monitor attendance at protests or to track down individuals.

The controversial process can impact a user's ability to contact emergency services, and can sweep up bystanders along with targeted individuals.

ICE has long used similar 'Stingray' devices, with a freedom of information lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union revealing that the agency deployed cell site simulators at least 466 times between 2017 and 2019.

Under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE's budget was expanded by $45 billion, and the number of agents patrolling cities was expanded significantly.

The Trump Administration has sought to federalize National Guard troops to send to Democrat-controlled cities across the country.