ICE investments in data analysis tools continue with renewed Whooster deal 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations plan to continue working with Whooster, a vendor known for its investigative data capabilities, according to contract forecasting documents published by the Department of Homeland Security on Friday. 

The three-year, follow-on contract is expected to have a $1 million ceiling and will be awarded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Once awarded, it will mark Whooster’s second contract with the DHS unit. ICE previously signed a three-year contract with the vendor in 2023 for about $1.2 million, which is set to expire in September. 

Whooster opens up a massive data reserve for ICE investigations. The vendor touts its ability to link several open-source databases, enabling combined access to around 100 social media sites, real-time arrest feeds, international phone and identity data across 150-plus countries, corporate filings, medical data and asset records. As part of a “contact tracing” tool, Whooster offers a map display where federal agencies can select homes to find “valuable information on the subject” including “3 degrees of relatives” and possible associates. 

DHS said its focus is on the breadth of phone data from international numbers. 

“HSI employees would use Whooster licenses to obtain foreign telephone number subscriber information on a transactional basis to support cross border investigations, covering nearly all HSI programmatic areas except Worksite Enforcement,” DHS said in the contract forecast. “These capabilities are currently unavailable in HSI data service/systems and are essential for HSI investigations where criminal activity is conducted over foreign telephone numbers.”

Whooster is just one data analysis vendor in DHS’s extensive roster. 

Last month, the agency published plans to re-up a contract with Cellebrite for its digital forensics tools, preparing to spend up to $100 million over the next five years. Paragon is another controversial vendor that’s been in the mix, as well as Penlink. 

DHS bought licenses to Penlink’s tools in September 2025, spurring concern from a group of 70 lawmakers who called for the inspector general to investigate the agency’s “warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data.” While the agency has yet to publish a solicitation for a fresh Penlink contract, which was expected last week, the anticipated award quarter is set for later this year. 

These contracts have garnered criticism from lawmakers and privacy advocates who warn of deteriorating privacy safeguards and civil liberties. DHS’s inspector general also has its eye on the agency’s data practices after launching an official audit in February to take a look at how data is managed, shared and secured.