Minnesota AG outlines how new data‑privacy law can blunt ICE phone tracking
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a consumer alert warning that DHS/ICE is reportedly using sophisticated commercial data streams—such as app‑location feeds, license‑plate reads, cell‑tower pings and brokered location data—to track people in the Twin Cities, even as the full scope of sources remains unclear. He urged Minnesotans to adopt technical privacy measures (privacy‑focused browsers, disabling location services and ad IDs, updating software, and using secure communications) and to use rights under the new Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act to request disclosure or deletion of personal data and opt out of its sale to blunt ICE’s phone‑tracking access.
📌 Key Facts
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a formal consumer alert warning Minnesotans about DHS/ICE digital surveillance risks beyond physical filming at protests.
- The alert and reporting say ICE is reportedly using 'sophisticated tools' and commercial data brokers to track people via online activity, phone apps, app‑location data, license‑plate reads, cell‑tower pings, ad IDs and other digital data streams.
- Some tracking methods can be used without a warrant in Minnesota—e.g., buying location or device data from aggregators—even when local police say they are not sharing information.
- The precise scope and specific data sources ICE is tapping remain unknown, creating a major information gap even as these tools are deployed in the Twin Cities.
- Ellison recommended technical privacy steps—use privacy‑focused browsers, disable location services, turn off ad IDs, keep software updated and adopt secure communications—to reduce exposure.
- He tied those steps to new legal rights under the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, which lets residents request disclosure and deletion of personal data and opt out of its sale, including data that can be funneled to ICE via brokers.
- Reporting outlines practical, step‑by‑step actions combining legal remedies (data‑access and deletion requests, opting out of sales) with technical measures to blunt surveillance during the Twin Cities enforcement surge.
📊 Relevant Data
The Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act (MCDPA), effective July 31, 2025, grants consumers rights to access, correct, delete their personal data, and opt out of data sales or targeted advertising by covered businesses.
New Minnesota law creates stronger privacy protections for residents — Minnesota Attorney General's Office
ICE has spent approximately $2.8 billion between 2008 and 2021 on surveillance, data collection, and data-sharing programs, including purchasing data from brokers to circumvent warrant requirements.
American Dragnet | Data-Driven Deportation in the 21st Century — Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology
In 2026, ICE signed contracts with surveillance vendors like Penlink to access personal data without warrants, continuing practices that exploit legal uncertainties around data brokers.
DHS is Circumventing Constitution by Buying Data It Would Normally Need a Warrant to Access — ACLU
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, starting December 2025, targets criminal noncitizens including those convicted of serious crimes like rape and drug trafficking, with over 2,400 arrests by January 2026.
2,400 have been arrested by immigration officials in Twin Cities since start of surge — KARE 11
Somali immigrants in Minnesota have higher crime rates than natives, but 39% of working-age Somalis lack a high school education, and one in eight children in poverty in Minnesota lives in a Somali immigrant home, contributing to socioeconomic vulnerabilities.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in annual income and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes, with significant business ownership contributing to economic growth.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
Immigration accounted for 94% of Minnesota's net population growth from 2020-2024, leading to increased housing costs where almost 40% of immigrant households in the Twin Cities pay more than 30% of income on housing.
The economic contributions of New Americans in Minnesota — Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Noncitizens were underrepresented in welfare fraud convictions in Minnesota in 2024, despite high-profile cases involving Somali immigrants, with per capita rates lower than natives when adjusted for population.
Noncitizens Were Underrepresented in Welfare Fraud Convictions in 2024 — Cato Institute
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Explains that Minnesota’s new Consumer Data Privacy Act gives residents a legal right to demand companies disclose and delete personal data, and to opt out of its sale—including data that can be funneled to ICE via brokers.
- Details specific ways ICE can track people without a warrant in Minnesota—such as buying app‑location data, license‑plate reads, or cell‑tower pings from commercial aggregators—even when local police claim they aren’t sharing information.
- Spells out step‑by‑step actions Minnesotans can take under the law (data‑access and deletion requests, opting out of sales) and combines them with technical measures (turning off ad IDs, location services, using privacy‑oriented tools) to blunt surveillance during the Twin Cities enforcement surge.
- Attorney General Keith Ellison has issued a formal consumer alert warning Minnesotans about digital surveillance by DHS/ICE, not just physical filming at protests.
- The alert says ICE is reportedly using 'sophisticated tools' to track individuals via online activity, phone apps and other digital data streams.
- Ellison is explicitly steering residents to use privacy‑focused browsers, disable location services, keep software updated, and adopt secure communications, and he ties these steps to new rights under the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, which lets residents request deletion of some personal data.
- The article underscores that the scope and specific data sources ICE is tapping remain unknown, highlighting a major information gap even as the tools are deployed in the Twin Cities.