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... Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan called the purchase "one of the most significant expansions of DHS and ICE's surveillance ambitions to date," flagging potential civil liberties concerns and risks to U.S. national security. Peters sought clarity from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a letter exclusively obtained by CBS News and dated July 23, calling into question ICE's $2 million, sole-source purchase of Graphite, a surveillance tool developed by Paragon Solutions and now owned by REDLattice.

"Misuse of Graphite is not hypothetical," Peters wrote, mentioning public reporting that more than 90 journalists and civil society members were targeted by the technology across several countries.

While the senator from Michigan does not allege that ICE has used Graphite against journalists, protesters or other Americans, Peters demanded the agency disclose whether the software has been deployed domestically, who has been targeted and legal authority supporting use of the tool.

The ranking member said he was "deeply troubled about how Graphite might be used in the United States to target Americans," pointing to ongoing concerns about ICE's collection of information involving protests, social media posts and other First Amendment-protected activities. ...