Advocates say a loophole in an Illinois contract allows ICE to access data for immigration enforcement

A multimillion-dollar contract with Appriss Insights LLC, which runs the state’s crime victim notification system, contains a provision that allows the company to share jail data with third parties, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigrant advocates say.The state’s victim-notification system known as VINE alerts crime victims when someone is released from jail, transferred or experiences a change in custody status. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul signed the current contract with Appriss in May 2021, initially committing approximately $6.07 million. The contract runs through June 2028.A clause in that contract allows Appriss to share jail records with third parties. Privacy advocates warn this creates a pathway for information collected by Illinois jails to enter commercial databases used by ICE to identify and locate people for immigration enforcement.Illinois’ sanctuary laws limit state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authoriti