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The hacking group Department of Peace has published a database containing information on more than 41,000 officials at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection.
CNBC reported the leak.
The database was published late on October 28 on the website of Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit organization that publishes leaked data.
According to CNBC, it contains employees’ names, departments, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses and even the names of their direct supervisors. The database is searchable.
The leak reportedly affects employees of:
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS);
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP);
- The Department of Homeland Security’s headquarters.
The hackers claim they obtained the information through Okta, a single sign-on service used by the department. Okta said its systems were secure and that it had found no evidence of a breach.
The Department of Homeland Security told The Washington Post that it was aware of the potential data leak and was working quickly to address the situation.
The hackers said the operation was a response to remarks by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. On July 17, he reportedly promised that ICE would “turn up the heat on the streets” by increasing migrant arrests and traffic enforcement operations.
During President Donald Trump’s second term, ICE has sharply intensified arrests and deportations. The agency has faced widespread criticism, with agents repeatedly filmed using force against people.
The tougher immigration policy has also affected foreign nationals legally residing in the United States.
In August, labor unions and human rights organizations challenged new Trump administration rules in court that would change the duration of visas for international students, researchers and journalists. The plaintiffs argued that the changes would create serious problems for universities, students and media organizations. They asked a Massachusetts court to block the rules.
