Flock camera data in Twin Cities searched for immigration purposes
The short version: Star Tribune reports Twin Cities Flock ALPR data was accessed for immigration enforcement, underscoring how local surveillance nets keep feeding federal agencies despite local 'sanctuary' promises.
Our Take
Credit to the Star Tribune for digging into what happens after a license plate reader snaps your car: the data doesn't stay local. This report lands on a pattern we track constantly here — police departments sign up for Flock cameras promising narrow, local uses, then the network's search function lets other agencies, including federal immigration authorities, query the same database. Once that data exists, 'local control' is mostly a talking point.
This is exactly why the policy fine print matters more than the sales pitch. City councils approve these systems assuming use will be limited to violent crime or stolen vehicles, but Flock's architecture is built for sharing across jurisdictions, and audit logs showing immigration-related searches are the kind of accountability gap that should alarm anyone who values due process, not just immigrants. A camera that can't tell the difference between a warrant and a political priority is a surveillance tool, full stop.
If you want to see whether your own city or county is running Flock infrastructure that could end up in the same situation, check our camera map, and if you want to push back on unchecked data sharing where you live, our take-action page has concrete steps.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Star Tribune, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.