ICE’s IT shop eyes more automation, embraces AI chatbot

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “trying to automate as many of our business functions as possible,” the Department of Homeland Security component’s top IT official said at an event Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Dustin Goetz, ICE’s chief information officer, said onstage during a Homeland Security and Defense Forum event that the agency is already tapping its automation toolset for compliance checks on applications, code review and identification of issues in infrastructure — but it’s now looking to beef up capabilities.

Goetz pointed to lower-level roles in cybersecurity, the service desk and administrative functions as prime areas for automation. 

“These things can be automated with the data we currently have,” Goetz said. “We just have to train models to help us.” 

The process is already underway. ICE has started using an internal AI chatbot called Stella, a project led by the DHS division’s chief innovation and AI officer. The agency is open to bringing on industry partners to sharpen the tool and help ICE reach its automation goals.

Human review will remain a vital part of the adoption process, even as tasks are automated. 

“There’s always going to be human intervention,” Goetz said, echoing sentiments made by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott last year. 

Legacy tech, shadow IT 

Amid ambitious automation goals, ICE is also embarking on a “major push” to identify legacy tech and shadow IT, according to Goetz. The mission is prevalent across federal agencies as the Trump administration’s focus on efficiency and eliminating waste persists. 

When legacy tech or shadow IT is detected and after risk assessments are conducted, ICE takes one of three routes: develop or modernize the capability to meet current standards, allow the tech to continue operating but with close guidance, or sunset the tech. 

The identification push is accompanied with cultural change, Goetz said. In some cases, there is a higher tolerance for risk. 

“Our new motto — and my team has heard me say this many times, especially the cybersecurity team — is ‘No, but,’” Goetz said. There’s room for negotiation, he added. 

“Our cybersecurity team has had a wonderful last five years. They said, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ and they walked away,” Goetz said. “The challenge I posed to them is now you can say, ‘No,’ but you have to give them options.”