ICE wants $2 million robot dogs for immigration operations

Man's best friend gets a new job

ICE is apparently taking immigration enforcement into the future — and this time, man's best friend has four metal legs, a camera for a head and a rather impressive price tag.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to spend up to $2 million on robotic “dogs” to assist agents during operations, according to a Department of Homeland Security funding document.

The proposed purchase involves Boston Dynamics' famous Spot robot, along with accessories and equipment.

And before anyone imagines a robot dog dragging an illegal immigrant away in its jaws, DHS says that isn't what they're for.

No arrests — apparently

A senior DHS official told NBC News that the robots will not be used to make arrests.

Instead, ICE says they will be deployed for inspection, gathering information and assessing dangerous environments where sending an officer could put them at risk.

The machines are equipped with cameras and sensors capable of detecting things including vibration, gas and radiation.

That means they could potentially be sent into unstable buildings, confined spaces or other hazardous locations before human officers go in.

All perfectly sensible — at least until you remember the bill could reach $2 million.

From robot dogs to electric gloves

The proposal comes just weeks after ICE announced plans to spend as much as $20 million on electric shock gloves for its officers.

That decision already sparked outrage among Democrats, who argued that the agency should be investing in de-escalation training and accountability instead.

Tom Homan defended the gloves, saying they could provide officers with an alternative to using deadly force.

Now come the robot dogs.

For critics of the administration, the optics are almost too good to resist.

The dogs are already working for police

The technology isn't science fiction.

Boston Dynamics' Spot robots are already being used by several American law enforcement agencies, including police departments in Los Angeles and New York.

The US Secret Service has also used robotic dogs to help secure Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property.

So ICE isn't inventing the idea from scratch.

But the proposed purchase does raise an obvious question:

Just how much technology does an immigration officer really need?

Cameras, sensors — and controversy

Boston Dynamics says Spot is designed to help people operate safely in environments that may be dangerous or difficult to access.

The company also has an explicit ethics policy stating that it will not authorise partnerships involving its robots being used as weapons or autonomous targeting systems.

ICE's own description similarly focuses on officer safety and hazard assessment.

But immigration enforcement is already one of the most politically explosive issues in America.

Put that together with a $20 million electric-glove purchase and now a potential $2 million fleet of robotic dogs, and Washington has handed critics another very easy target.

Welcome to immigration enforcement 2.0

Nobody is suggesting that ICE agents are about to unleash packs of robotic dogs onto America's streets.

At least, that's not what the current proposal says.

But the image is certainly going to get people's attention.

ICE wants robot dogs. ICE wants electric gloves. And American taxpayers could be picking up the bill.

The robots may be intended to keep officers out of dangerous places.

But politically, ICE may have just walked straight into another minefield.

SOURCE