US Immigration Agency Under Fire for Plan to Hire Bounty Hunters
The US government is facing criticism from lawmakers after a plan to award monetary bonuses to private bounty hunters was proposed. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, has expressed "grave concerns" over the plan, which would deploy privatized investigators to track down immigrants residing in the country.
Under the plan, bounty hunters could earn bonus payments based on how many immigrants they help apprehend and how quickly. The Department of Homeland Security defines an immigrant as anyone who is not a US citizen or national. ICE has issued a request for information on the proposal, which raises questions about accountability and oversight.
Krishnamoorthi has warned that outsourcing law enforcement activities to private contractors could lead to abuses, secrecy, and corruption. "Allowing private contractors to perform enforcement activities under a system of performance-based financial incentives essentially turns into bounty hunting," he writes. "This outsources one of the government's most coercive powers to actors who operate with little oversight and limited public accountability."
The lawmaker has asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to clarify how the private bounty hunter system would work, including whether contractors would be required to identify themselves as agents of the federal government.
ICE has defended the proposal, saying it is solely for information and planning purposes. However, Krishnamoorthi's concerns highlight a growing trend in the US government's increasingly chaotic and freewheeling domestic immigration operations.
The plan has sparked fears that corporate profit motive would be introduced into the system, leading to mistakes and abuses. As the Trump administration continues to push for authoritarian measures, many are warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the erosion of democratic institutions.
The US government is facing criticism from lawmakers after a plan to award monetary bonuses to private bounty hunters was proposed. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, has expressed "grave concerns" over the plan, which would deploy privatized investigators to track down immigrants residing in the country.
Under the plan, bounty hunters could earn bonus payments based on how many immigrants they help apprehend and how quickly. The Department of Homeland Security defines an immigrant as anyone who is not a US citizen or national. ICE has issued a request for information on the proposal, which raises questions about accountability and oversight.
Krishnamoorthi has warned that outsourcing law enforcement activities to private contractors could lead to abuses, secrecy, and corruption. "Allowing private contractors to perform enforcement activities under a system of performance-based financial incentives essentially turns into bounty hunting," he writes. "This outsources one of the government's most coercive powers to actors who operate with little oversight and limited public accountability."
The lawmaker has asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to clarify how the private bounty hunter system would work, including whether contractors would be required to identify themselves as agents of the federal government.
ICE has defended the proposal, saying it is solely for information and planning purposes. However, Krishnamoorthi's concerns highlight a growing trend in the US government's increasingly chaotic and freewheeling domestic immigration operations.
The plan has sparked fears that corporate profit motive would be introduced into the system, leading to mistakes and abuses. As the Trump administration continues to push for authoritarian measures, many are warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the erosion of democratic institutions.
how can we trust these bounty hunters with people lives? Theyre just in it for the benjamins and that's not good enough for me I need my government to have integrity 
this is a recipe for disaster, no oversight, no accountability, its just gonna get out of hand 
! Like, what's next? Hiring private security guards to patrol our streets? Or private prison guards to watch over us? This whole thing is super concerning, you know? It's like they're trying to sell out our values of fairness and justice. I mean, who do we trust to enforce the law if it's not even US citizens doing it? It's all about profit and power, plain and simple 
. We need more accountability and transparency in this whole system, not less 
. And what about the immigrants who are just trying to live their lives here? Are we going to be turned into bounty hunters too? 
This is a recipe for disaster, if you ask me...
. And what's up with the performance-based financial incentives? Sounds like a recipe for corruption and abuse of power 
. It's all about accountability, folks! 
this is so not cool... they're gonna let these bounty hunters just run around chasing people down like dogs 
? it's all about making a quick buck and who cares if they break some laws in the process 
. what's next, hiring mercenaries to keep us safe 
and what's with the bonus system? isn't that just setting up a way for people to get rich off of other people's mistakes? 
