Edward J. Markey represents Massachusetts in the US Senate.
The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month rightfully focused the world’s attention on the lawlessness of federal immigration agents. Yet these heinous incidents also illustrate a deeper and often unseen reality of modern immigration enforcement: the vast surveillance infrastructure that shadows individuals long before — and long after — any physical encounter with law enforcement.
Federal immigration officers documented details about Pretti before their fatal encounter with him and recorded Good on their phones before fatally shooting her. Some footage was released to the public and other footage has not been unreleased. This constant monitoring reflects an enforcement system in which surveillance power has become routine and normalized, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers increasingly rely on tools — from ordinary phone-based recordings to sophisticated and invasive surveillance technologies — without clear limits, safeguards, or accountability measures.
