Bay Area protestors join criticism of Palantir over ICE contract

SAN FRANCISCO — Bay Area activists are rallying against Palantir Technologies, the data analytics firm co-founded by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. The moves are part of Americans’ growing outrage over immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of two US citizens in January. 

Palantir, which received 55% of its revenue from government contracts in 2024, won a $30 million contract last year with ICE. The funds are aimed at developing immigrant surveillance technology. As a result the company’s stock price is soaring since Trump’s second term began. 

The East Bay chapter of the progressive grassroots organization Our Revolution protested at Palantir’s Palo Alto office on February 5th. According to their website, they are “mobilizing Americans to fight oligarchy,” and have called out Palantir before. 

“Our Revolution is concerned that 55% of Palantir’s revenues come from U.S. Government contracts,” said Our Revolution East Bay co-chair Susana Williams.

“We support our immigrants. We understand how valuable immigrants are to California, the Bay area, and to our entire nation. We have this company that is making all of this money on the backs of people, and we just think that’s really wrong.” 

On Monday, Palantir CEO Alex Karp said protesters demonstrating against ICE should support the use of his company’s tools in the government.

“If you are critical of ICE, you should be out there protesting for more Palantir,” he told CNBC in an interview discussing the company’s fourth-quarter results. “Our product actually, in its core, requires people to conform with Fourth Amendment data protections.”

Palantir, ICE and IDF

Williams says, “That same technology that is being used in Gaza to commit genocide is now being used to literally kill our immigrant population and American citizens who are protesting what is happening. And that’s why our revolution is involved in this.” 

Palantir agreed to a “strategic partnership” with the Israeli Defense Ministry in 2024. A report from UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese says there are “reasonable grounds to believe Palantir has provided automatic predictive policing technology, core defense infrastructure for rapid and scaled-up construction and deployment of military software, and its Artificial Intelligence Platform, which allows real-time battlefield data integration for automated decision-making.” 

Following mass protests in Minnesota, reports are emerging of DHS compiling databases of protestors’ identities and license plates. Williams says the January killing of two citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, has galvanised activist networks

“I’m a blonde-haired, blue-eyed American citizen driving an SUV, and I would literally protect my neighbors. So as an activist, when I saw Renee Good was murdered…  that told us right there that none of us are safe,” said Williams. “That even if we thought that we might be a little safe and be able to take a bigger risk than our immigrant friends, that’s proving to be not true.”

‘Defund the oligarchs’ Resolution

The protests are having an effect on Washington. Last week, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), alongside Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL), introduced the “Defund the Oligarchs, Fund the People” Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The resolution, which Our Revolution helped co-introduce, calls for Congress to tackle economic and political power held by billionaire oligarchs and large corporations, arguing that extreme wealth disparity undermines democratic responsiveness to everyday Americans. 

It specifically condemns corporate lobbying, tax breaks for the wealthy, and unchecked influence over policy in favor of public needs like housing, health care, and education.

“Trump promised to lower costs for families on day one, but a year since he took office, grocery, housing, and health care costs are out of control,” said Rep. Tlaib in a statement. “He signed into law the largest cuts to health care and food assistance in the history of our country, all to give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to his rich donors and their massive corporations. ”

The resolution, endorsed by a broad coalition of progressive and public-interest groups, does not currently have the votes to pass in the Republican-controlled House, but Williams sees legislation like it as essential. 

“Outside of the people that created them, nobody really knows what the capabilities of these mass surveillance technologies truly are,” she said. “But we’re seeing what they’re doing is pretty frightening.”

Williams added, “That resolution is meant to defund the oligarchs like those in control of Palantir. That’s the way to stop these companies from sucking the lifeblood out of our country. Our government is handing Palantir all the tools and resources that they need to develop these products, which is hurting Americans.”

Chris Alam is a California Local News Fellow with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.