ICE Graphite spyware buy draws Senate demand for answers
Sen. Gary Peters wants DHS to explain ICE’s $2 million Graphite spyware purchase and whether the phone-hacking tool was used in the U.S.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
3 min read
Sen. Gary Peters is demanding answers on ICE Graphite spyware, pressing the Department of Homeland Security to explain why the immigration agency bought a commercial phone-hacking tool that can covertly take control of devices and collect personal data.
Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, raised the questions in a July 23 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that was obtained by CBS News. The Michigan senator focused on ICE’s $2 million sole-source purchase of Graphite, a surveillance product developed by Paragon Solutions and now owned by REDLattice, according to the report.
Peters called the deal “one of the most significant expansions of DHS and ICE's surveillance ambitions to date,” according to the letter, and said it raised civil liberties and national security concerns.
What is Graphite spyware?
Graphite is commercial spyware that can secretly take control of a phone and gather messages, photos, location data and other personal information, according to Peters’ letter. Commercial spyware is sold by private companies to clients, including government agencies, for surveillance or investigative use.
Peters wrote that abuse of Graphite was not just a theoretical concern. He pointed to public reporting that the technology had been used to target more than 90 journalists and members of civil society in several countries.
The senator did not claim that ICE has used Graphite against journalists, protesters or people in the United States. His letter asked DHS and ICE to say whether the tool has been used domestically, who was targeted and what legal authority was used to justify any deployment.
Peters said he was concerned about how Graphite could be used inside the United States, citing broader worries over ICE’s collection of information tied to protests, social media posts and other activity protected by the First Amendment.
What does Peters want ICE to disclose?
The letter asks ICE to provide the number of U.S. and non-U.S. persons targeted with Graphite, where those people were located and the purpose behind the purchase. Peters also asked whether information collected through the spyware was shared with other government agencies, private companies or nonprofit groups.
The inquiry seeks contracts, privacy assessments, civil rights reviews, security policies and other records tied to the spyware deal. Peters also asked for material connected to a September 2024 agreement, an October 2024 stop-work order and the contract’s later reactivation in August 2025.
According to the letter, committee staff asked DHS for a briefing in December 2025 and asked ICE for one in January 2026, but did not receive a substantive response.
Peters requested an immediate briefing and set an Aug. 7 deadline for documents and answers about Graphite’s use, oversight and security controls. Because Democrats do not control Congress, Peters cannot force ICE to comply through his position as ranking member and can only request the information.
CBS News reported that it contacted ICE, DHS, Graphite and REDLattice for comment.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.