In November 2025, ICE issued solicitation 26-SOL-DCR-01 for "Skip Tracing Services." The solicitation proposed handing contractors large batches of people from ICE case files, letting vendors use commercial data brokers and their own methods to locate current addresses, and paying for volume with minimal oversight on accuracy or privacy.[1]
The original proposal carried a $180 million cap. By late November, ICE had scrapped that cap entirely, creating a no-limit program with multimillion-dollar guarantees for contractors.[2]
On December 16, 2025, GEO Group—through its subsidiary BI Incorporated—was awarded a contract worth up to $121 million for skip-tracing services.[3][4]
The contract runs for two years with an initial one-year term and an additional one-year option period.[4]
GEO Group is the largest private prison operator in the United States and one of the world's biggest detention companies.[5]
BI Incorporated, acquired by GEO in 2011 for $415 million, specializes in electronic monitoring and surveillance technologies.[6]
BI Incorporated has held ICE contracts since 2004—more than 21 years of continuous work tracking immigrants.[4][7]
They operate ICE's Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), currently tracking approximately 186,000 people using GPS ankle monitors, smartwatches, and facial recognition apps.[8]
BI Inc operates SmartLINK, a surveillance app that collects:[9]