The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced the resumption of a $2 million contract with Paragon Solutions to use the advanced spyware “Graphite,” capable of hacking smartphones and accessing their encrypted data.

This decision came after former President Donald Trump lifted the Biden administration’s October 2024 work stoppage order, which aimed to review the contract’s compliance with the 2023 executive order restricting the use of commercial spyware that threatens human rights or national security.

According to reports from The Washington Post and The Guardian, the “Graphite” program developed by Paragon Solutions allows full control over targeted phones, including location tracking, reading messages, viewing photos, and accessing encrypted apps like WhatsApp and Signal.

The phone can also be turned into a listening device by remotely activating the microphone, raising serious privacy concerns, especially with Trump’s plans to expand mass deportations of migrants.

The Biden administration had suspended the contract after reports of “Graphite” being used in Italy against journalists and human rights activists, including individuals linked to the “Mediterranea Saving Humans” organization rescuing migrants, and people close to Pope Francis.

Reports from Citizen Lab and WhatsApp in January 2025 confirmed the program targeted about 90 people, prompting Paragon to sever ties with the Italian government after the latter refused to investigate the violations.

This incident sparked sharp criticism, with human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch warning that ICE’s use of such tools could lead to widespread violations of migrants’, journalists’, and activists’ rights.

Paragon was founded in Israel in 2019 by Ehud Shneorson, a former commander in the Israeli Unit 8200, and received significant investments, including $500 million from the US company AE Industrial Partners in 2024, making it US-owned.

Despite marketing itself as an ethical company compared to competitors like NSO Group, the controversy around Graphite reflects major ethical challenges, especially with its potential use to monitor migrants without sufficient judicial oversight.

This move has raised fears of exacerbating privacy and civil rights violations, particularly amid the strict immigration policies adopted by the Trump administration.

Organizations like Access Now have called for a contract reassessment, noting that using tools like Graphite could jeopardize individuals’ privacy, including American citizens.