The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: The Dangers of Privatized, Automated Immigration Enforcement
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Apr 30, 2026 
Chinmayi Sharma, an associate professor at Fordham Law School and Lawfare editor focused on immigration and automation, unpacks a privatized, code-driven immigration enforcement system. She discusses how vendors like Palantir centralize data, how errors and incentives entrench surveillance, and subfederal strategies to resist and disrupt these technologies.
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Code-Based Leviathan Reengineered Immigration
- The U.S. immigration system is now a privatized, interoperable automated ecosystem that centralizes enforcement power in code.
- Private vendors supply data and tools that replace state-provided manpower and information, creating a resilient hub-and-spoke architecture.
Palantir Is The Hub Of Immigration Data
- Palantir functions as the central hub (Immigration OS/ICM) that aggregates many data spokes and enables advanced analytics at DHS.
- DHS uses single-source procurement for Palantir, making it a keystone that funnels multiple vendor data formats into one platform.
Oversold Tech Plus Dependence Produces Real Harm
- Vendors oversell capabilities and governments become dependent, creating legacy systems with low incentives for quality.
- Faulty outputs (e.g., apps declaring people lie) lead agents to defer to inaccurate tools, causing wrongful detentions and rights violations.