The future of America's immigration system may now rest in the hands of an unelected tech billionaire—and a controversial new government agency with no clear mandate, no transparency, and full access to the nation's most sensitive immigration records.
According to documents reviewed by The Washington Post, Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to the Executive Office for Immigration Review's (EOIR) Courts and Appeals System (ECAS). This move—approved by the Department of Justice—gives DOGE operatives, including a former official linked to racist online content, access to millions of confidential immigration records.
What Is ECAS—and Why Does It Matter?
The ECAS database is the digital backbone of immigration courts in the United States. It contains exhaustive case information—everything from asylum applications to deeply personal narratives of trauma, identity documents, addresses, and decisions from immigration judges.
In short, ECAS is a vault of vulnerable lives.
Opening that vault to a team of unelected advisors under the pretense of “efficiency” not only raises constitutional red flags—it jeopardizes the integrity of due process itself.
Who Is DOGE—and Why Are They Involved?
DOGE is not a traditional federal agency. It is a creation of the Trump administration—reportedly spearheaded by Elon Musk, now acting as White House Senior Advisor—tasked with rooting out "waste" in government systems. But the scope of DOGE's actual authority is murky at best and dangerous at worst.
Among the DOGE team members is Marko Elez, a former federal staffer who resigned amid scandal over his association with a social media account that espoused racist and eugenicist ideologies. He was reappointed after Musk launched a public poll on X (formerly Twitter) asking if Elez should return, a decision endorsed by Vice President JD Vance.
This isn't just unorthodox—it's alarming.
Data Access Without Oversight
Allowing DOGE access to ECAS appears to be the next phase in a broader, aggressive push by the Trump administration to enact mass deportations and dismantle key legal protections for immigrants. Just last week, The Post reported that DOGE and federal immigration officials were seeking access to Medicare databases to identify undocumented immigrants—another potential abuse of sensitive personal data.
White House officials have stated openly that these moves are part of an effort to eliminate “monetary incentives” for undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S., with the ultimate goal of encouraging “self-deportation.”
This strategy weaponizes privacy, personal data, and public benefit records against some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Where Are the Safeguards?
So far, there has been no public explanation of DOGE's legal authority to access ECAS or how DOJ plans to ensure that this information isn't misused. Congressional Democrats are calling for investigations, but without swift action, the damage may already be done.
The DOJ itself describes ECAS as a tool meant to create efficiency within the legal process—not as a surveillance mechanism to assist political operatives with mass deportation schemes.
Our Position at Saluja Law
At Saluja Law, we are deeply disturbed by this unprecedented breach of privacy and due process. Immigration court data should be protected with the utmost care—not handed over to politically appointed tech executives and ideologically driven advisors.
This is not government efficiency. This is government overreach.
We stand with the immigrant community, with advocates, and with members of Congress calling for accountability and oversight. If left unchecked, this partnership between DOGE and the Department of Justice could lead to the most far-reaching surveillance and deportation apparatus in U.S. history.
We urge legal professionals, advocacy organizations, and members of the public to remain vigilant, demand transparency, and take action to ensure that immigration law remains rooted in justice—not politics.
Follow Saluja Law for continuing updates on immigration law, government transparency, and due process protections in the digital age.
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