Federal procurement records show ICE is seeking Boston Dynamics’ four-legged Spot robots and accessories for law-enforcement and public-safety operations. The planned purchase has an estimated value of between $1 million and $2 million. The robots would provide remotely operated inspection, situational awareness and hazard-assessment capabilities in locations considered dangerous, confined, unstable or difficult for officers to enter.
The Department of Homeland Security procurement forecast lists the project as a new requirement, with a solicitation expected in early September and an anticipated award during the fourth quarter of the 2026 financial year. The contract schedule currently envisages completion by April 24, 2027, with Fort Benning, Georgia, identified as the place of performance. A separate market-research notice described the equipment as “quadruped unmanned ground vehicles”, the technical term commonly used for robot dogs.
The machines would be equipped with cameras and sensors, including technology capable of detecting hazardous substances. Officials have said the robots would not arrest people. Their primary role would be to enter environments before officers, providing imagery and other information that could identify threats or reduce risks to personnel. Spot can be remotely controlled and can also undertake programmed missions, depending on its configuration.
Boston Dynamics says police and emergency services already use Spot to examine suspicious packages, assess hazardous materials, inspect structurally unsafe locations and gain visibility in potentially hostile situations. The company prohibits using its general-purpose robots as weapons or configuring them to carry weapons. It also says customers may not use the machines to harm or intimidate people or violate privacy and civil-rights laws.
Robot dogs have already appeared in US security operations. The Secret Service deployed Spot machines around President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida in 2024. Police departments have also experimented with quadruped robots for reconnaissance, hazardous searches and situations where sending officers into a building could pose a significant risk. Their increasing deployment has nevertheless generated debate over surveillance, policing practices and the circumstances in which remotely operated machines should interact with the public.
ICE’s planned acquisition comes amid a wider expansion of equipment, staffing and operational capacity. The agency has also awarded a $16.7 million contract for 6,000 pairs of electrically charged gloves designed to deliver shocks through direct contact. Officials describe those devices as tools intended to give officers another option during difficult encounters, while civil-rights organisations and lawmakers have questioned how they will be controlled, documented and used.
The technology spending is unfolding as immigration enforcement accelerates nationally. ICE recorded 49,571 arrests in July, its highest monthly figure during Trump’s second term. That represented a 15 per cent increase from 43,021 arrests in June and a rise of about 70 per cent from February. The administration has increasingly relied on state and local law-enforcement partnerships alongside expanded federal staffing as it works towards substantially higher arrest and removal levels.
Congressional funding has provided substantial additional resources for detention facilities, transportation, personnel, recruitment and enforcement operations. Billions of dollars have been allocated or proposed for expanding ICE’s workforce and physical capacity, creating opportunities for greater investment in surveillance systems, data platforms, vehicles and specialised enforcement equipment. Robotic platforms fit into that broader effort to use technology to extend officers’ reach while limiting their exposure to hazardous environments.
The procurement also highlights how technology first developed for industrial inspection, emergency response and military support is moving deeper into civilian law enforcement. Quadruped robots can cross uneven terrain, climb stairs and operate where wheeled machines struggle, making them attractive for tunnels, damaged buildings and confined spaces. Their cameras and sensors can transmit information to operators without requiring personnel to enter immediately.
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