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Police departments across the United States are using school district security cameras to support federal immigration investigations, according to an in-depth piece published by The 74, based on audit logs and public records from Texas school systems.
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The records center on license plate reader cameras made by Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based surveillance technology company. The cameras capture plate numbers, timestamps, and vehicle details and upload them to a shared cloud database. School districts can choose to make their camera feeds searchable by other law enforcement agencies through Flock's national network.
Audit logs from six Texas school districts reported by The 74 show hundreds of thousands of searches conducted by police agencies nationwide over a one-month period, including queries tagged for immigration-related purposes. In one district south of Houston, more than 3,100 agencies conducted over 733,000 searches, with 620 labeled as immigration-related by 30 agencies across multiple states.
Several law enforcement officials told the site that they ran searches to assist the Department of Homeland Security in enforcing immigration law. One Georgia police lieutenant said that when federal agents request help on immigration cases, "we will assist them – no questions asked."
The report says there is no evidence that school districts themselves conducted immigration searches or were aware their camera networks were being used for that purpose by outside agencies. Flock Safety has said federal agencies cannot directly access its cameras and that data sharing decisions are made by local customers. The company has also said prior pilot programs with DHS have been paused.
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Privacy researchers and education advocates told The 74 the findings raise questions about whether school surveillance tools intended for campus safety are being used more broadly. Adam Wandt, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the disclosures could prompt debate over student privacy and data-sharing practices by school systems.
The findings come as immigration enforcement activity near schools has drawn increased concern from families and educators. A report by Chalkbeat published a week ago documented rising fear among parents in several communities following the rollback of prior federal guidance limiting immigration enforcement actions near schools.
Although agents are generally not entering school buildings without judicial warrants, Chalkbeat reported cases of arrests near school grounds and bus stops, contributing to higher absenteeism and uncertainty among families and school leaders.
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Tags: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Texas, Immigration enforcement, Schools