Palantir CEO Alex Karp just doubled down on one of Silicon Valley's most controversial government partnerships. As anti-ICE protests rage in Minneapolis following two fatal shootings by federal agents, Karp told CNBC that demonstrators should actually be demanding more of his company's surveillance tools in immigration enforcement. The provocative stance comes as newly released documents reveal Palantir is providing AI systems to help DHS process tips, reigniting fierce debate over tech's role in contentious government operations.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp isn't backing down. In a striking interview with CNBC discussing the company's fourth-quarter earnings, Karp delivered a message that's guaranteed to inflame an already combustible debate: protesters critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement should actually want more of his company's technology embedded in federal agencies.
"If you are critical of ICE, you should be out there protesting for more Palantir," Karp told CNBC's Morgan Brennan. "Our product actually, in its core, requires people to conform with Fourth Amendment data protections." It's a provocative reframing of a partnership that's drawn fire from civil liberties advocates for years, and the timing couldn't be more explosive.
The comments land as anti-ICE demonstrations continue roiling Minneapolis in the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents. Meanwhile, documents released last week by the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Palantir is actively providing AI-powered tools to help the agency sift through tips, a disclosure that's added fuel to longstanding concerns about tech-enabled mass surveillance.
Palantir's relationship with ICE runs deep and lucrative. Federal procurement records from April 2025 show the company secured a $30 million contract to deliver what officials described as "real-time visibility" on individuals self-deporting. That's the kind of language that sets off alarm bells for immigration advocates, who've spent years trying to unwind the tech industry's entanglement with enforcement agencies.
