ICE’s reliance on Microsoft technology has grown amid an immigration crackdown, documents show

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increased its reliance on Microsoft cloud technology last year as the agency ramped up arrest and deportation operations, leaked documents reveal.

ICE more than tripled the amount of data it stored on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in the six months through January 2026, a period during which the agency’s budget grew and its workforce rapidly expanded, according to the files.

ICE appears to be using Microsoft’s range of productivity tools, as well as AI-based products, to search and analyze data held in Azure. The files indicate that some of the agency’s own tools and systems are also running on Microsoft servers.

The documents – obtained by the Guardian and its partners +972 Magazine and Local Call – That raises questions about whether the Microsoft technology could facilitate an immigration crackdown by an agency accused of conducting illegal activities and using massive amounts of excessive force.

ICE enforcement activity has increased over the past year as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. The agency is now at the center of a battle in Congress over funding that has led to a partial shutdown of the US government in the wake of the deaths of two people in Minneapolis.

In July, ICE received a $75bn budget increase, making it the most underfunded US law enforcement agency. With this unprecedented increase in funding, the agency began a spending spree on the technology, awarding contracts to lesser-known providers as well as big firms like Palantir.

ICE, likened to a domestic surveillance agency, has access to vast amounts of data on people living in the US. It has a growing array of surveillance technology, including facial recognition apps, phone location databases, drones and invasive spyware.

As the agency expands through 2025, it has increased spending on cloud computing. Both Amazon and Microsoft, longtime providers to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), emerged as the beneficiaries of tens of millions of dollars worth of deals struck through third-party resellers.

The leaked documents do not specify the types of information stored by ICE on Microsoft’s servers. However, they suggest the agency used Azure services, including “blob storage” of raw data, as well as AI tools that analyze images and videos and translate text.

In January, according to the files, ICE had about 1,400 terabytes of storage on Azure, which equates to about 490m images if it only contained photographs. This is up from 400 terabytes in July 2025 after rising in the second half of last year, the files indicate.

According to the documents, ICE is also using virtual machines on Azure. These are computers that effectively operate in the cloud, but can be accessed remotely. ICE seems to be renting these high-powered computers to run the software.

The agency, which has more than doubled its workforce since January 2025, has significantly expanded its access to Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps, giving users access to document management tools and an AI chatbot.

It’s unclear from the filings whether ICE uses Azure to store or analyze information gathered through its surveillance or intelligence-gathering operations, or whether the cloud platform supports other functions, such as managing detention centers or deportation flights. ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

A Microsoft spokesperson said it will “provide DHS and ICE with cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, delivered through our key partners”. Microsoft’s policies and terms of service “do not permit the use of our technology for mass surveillance of citizens, and we do not believe ICE has engaged in such activity,” they said.

The spokesperson added: “There are currently many public issues surrounding immigration enforcement, and we believe that Congress, the executive branch, and the courts have an opportunity to draw clear legal lines regarding the permissible use of emerging technologies by law enforcement.”

According to Microsoft sources, several employees have expressed concerns internally about the company’s use of technology in recent months, including filing internal ethics reports with ICE.

In December 2025, the company responded to such a report by stating that it had no existing contracts that “support immigration enforcement.” The company later downgraded this position. It admitted to employees having contracts with ICE and DHS, but said it “does not currently maintain AI services contracts specifically related to enforcement activities.”

Microsoft is not alone in facing employee concerns over its dealings with federal immigration officials. For big US tech groups, ICE and sister agency Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have long been customers, but their aggressive tactics and involvement in deadly shootings have become highly controversial.

Amazon workers and activists protested outside the company’s Seattle headquarters last week, demanding the company cut ties with federal immigration agencies. The company benefits from a series of massive cloud deals with DHS to provide cloud infrastructure to ICE and CBP.

At Google, which provides cloud services to both agencies, more than 1,300 workers signed a recent petition with similar demands. “DHS is violating civil and national laws as well as civil and human rights,” the petition reads. “We need to end our complicity in empowering them.”

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