US Domestic — 2026-10-15

ICE Planning 100 Million Dollar Domestic Surveillance Program ERO ONE With 142 Intelligence Agents

BLUFICE's ERO ONE solicitation is unlikely to appear by December 10, 2026, leaving a narrow pool of cleared-workforce contractors to compete for a surveillance buildout spanning 27 locations.

ICE is seeking a contract worth more than $100 million, called ERO ONE, to place 142 contract intelligence analysts across ERO headquarters, field offices in two dozen cities, and three national targeting centers, according to a statement of work posted September 18 123. Project Salt Box and Biometric Update report 12 analysts each at Williston, Vermont's NCATC and LESC, 9 at the Pacific Enforcement Response Center, and 15 at Washington headquarters 23. Analysts must already hold Top Secret clearances, would produce link charts and network analyses from classified and unclassified sources, and are barred from selecting targets or making final threat determinations 12. Sources differ on timing: the Prospect and Project Salt Box cite a solicitation by December 10, while the Prospect says award near February and Project Salt Box says spring 2027, and Biometric Update cites a forecast of second-quarter fiscal 2027 123. DHS did not respond to the Prospect's request for comment 1.

Analysis
ICE is unlikely to publish the final ERO ONE solicitation on SAM.gov by December 10, 2026. Confidence is high because a draft statement of work, an acquisition forecast and procurement reporting all place the solicitation at or after that date, with no sign of an earlier release. Project Salt Box and Biometric Update, both working independently from the procurement documents, agree on the factual core and differ only on award timing. A slip would push award into spring 2027 and leave incumbents such as Deloitte, at Williston and Laguna Niguel, performing the overlapping targeting work meanwhile. ICE could still treat December 10 as a floor, since the cleared-only requirement and no planned industry day suggest a known bidder pool and a fast-tracked procurement. If the date holds, cleared-analyst contractors must commit teaming and recruiting resources immediately, and oversight staff lose lead time to press for limits on scope. If it slips, bidders and congressional or civil liberties offices gain time to prepare or challenge.

4 sources

ICE Planning $100 Million Nightmare Domestic Spy Program - The American Prospect
ICE plans intel units in every field office to research immigrants, map who they know - Project Salt Box
ICE builds nationwide ERO intelligence layer around biometric targeting operations - Biometric Update
ICE Planning $100 Million Domestic Spy Program - Political Wire