ICE says the robot gives officers an additional tool to assess dangerous situations before putting people at risk
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementICE spokesperson, in a statement to WBUR
An ICE spokesperson says that, as with other law enforcement agencies, the robot platform gives officers an additional tool to safely assess potentially dangerous situations before placing personnel or the public at risk.
“Like with our other law enforcement partners around the country, this robot platform provides law enforcement officers with an additional tool to safely assess potentially dangerous situations before placing personnel or the public at risk”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Boston Dynamics employees urge the company to cancel its ICE robot-dog sale; the company stands by the deal
In September 2026, Boston Dynamics employees sent company leadership a letter urging it to cancel the sale of four Spot robots to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a $1.3 million contract. The letter, reported by WBUR and The Boston Globe on October 23, says the deal ties the company to an agency it accuses of brutalizing civilians. Interim chief executive Amanda McMaster told employees the company is standing by the sale. Boston Dynamics says the robots go to ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit and that its terms bar weaponization or use for harm or intimidation.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
WBUR report on a DHS funding document showing that ICE planned to spend up to $2 million on Boston Dynamics robots. It quotes statements from an ICE spokesperson and from the company.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
WBUR's August 31 report says a DHS funding document showed ICE planned to spend up to $2 million on Boston Dynamics robots. The report says ICE described the robot as an additional safety tool that does not replace officers or human judgment.
After the quotation
The spokesperson added that the robot can provide real-time situational awareness in hazardous, confined or tactically uncertain environments, so officers can make more informed decisions and, when possible, resolve incidents without immediately sending personnel into a dangerous area.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Boston Dynamics' sale of Spot robots to ICE, the agency defends its planned use of the robots as a safety tool for officers and the public.
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More from this case
Read the full caseAmanda McMaster, then Boston Dynamics' interim chief executive, tells employees the Spot robot sale to ICE is in line with the company's purpose
Boston Dynamics
“We believe this decision is in line with our purpose of ethically advancing intelligent machines in service of humanity”Read statement
Boston Dynamics says that if its robot can help keep people safe, it should be used, regardless of political implications
Boston Dynamics
“Regardless of any political implications or personal feelings about the organizations involved, if our robot can help keep people safe, we believe it should.”Read statement
Jonathan Paz says cameras, vehicles and AI have all been used against the public and warns against expecting ICE's robots to be different
“Whether it's cameras, it's vehicles, it's AI, and all this software data collection software, all of it has been abused and used against the public, so we should not expect anything different”Read statement
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- ICE says the robot gives officers an additional tool to assess dangerous situations before putting people at risk
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The Dispute Index. "ICE says the robot gives officers an additional tool to assess dangerous situations before putting people at risk". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7324-an-ice-spokesperson-says-that-as-with-other