Burak Bir
18 February 2026•Update: 18 February 2026
LONDON
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s reliance on Microsoft tech surged amid an immigration crackdown, as the data it stored more than tripled, according to a report.
Documents obtained by the Guardian newspaper and its partners, +972 Magazine and Local Call, in an exclusive report Tuesday raise questions about whether Microsoft technology is used in an immigration crackdown by ICE, which is accused of using excessive force on a large scale.
In July, ICE received a $75 billion budget increase, making it the highest-funded US law enforcement body.
ICE then more than tripled the amount of data stored in Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in the six months leading up to January 2026.
Although the leaked documents do not specify the sort of data stored by the agency on Microsoft servers, it suggests that ICE has used Azure services, including "blob storage" of raw data, as well as AI tools that analyze images and videos, and translate text.
The files show ICE has held almost 1,400 terabytes in Azure in January, which, if only comprised of photographs, would be equivalent to 490 million images.
"This was up from 400 terabytes in July 2025 after climbing through the second half of last year, files suggest," according to the report.
The documents said ICE also uses virtual machines on Azure, which are effectively computers that run in the cloud but that can be accessed remotely.
A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company "provides cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools to DHS and ICE, delivered through our key partners," referring to the Department of Homeland Security, the umbrella agency that oversees ICE.
The spokesperson noted that Microsoft’s policies and terms of service "do not allow our technology to be used for the mass surveillance of civilians, and we do not believe ICE is engaged in such activity."
"There are currently many public issues relating to immigration enforcement, and we believe Congress, the executive branch, and the courts have the opportunity to draw clear legal lines regarding the allowable use of emerging technologies by law enforcement," the spokesperson was quoted.
