U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson discloses stock shares in ICE contractor Palantir
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson has been a vocal critic of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Chicago area, but he’s also banking on shares of Palantir, a data analysis company that’s helping the Trump administration deport people.
Jackson bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Palantir Technologies’ stock on Dec. 22, according to a Jan. 8 congressional financial disclosure report. The trade happened in Jackson’s Morgan Stanley trust account, which benefits both the congressman and his wife.
Palantir has received more than $900 million in federal contracts since President Donald Trump took office, according to public records obtained by the New York Times. The company also has a $30 million contract with ICE that helps the agency monitor self-deportation, place priorities on who should be removed first and streamlines the deportation process. Palantir has had contracts with ICE since 2013 and their software is also used by the Internal Revenue Service and the Defense Department.
The Sun-Times in December reported that U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is running for Sen. Dick Durbin's seat, donated $29,300 — the entirety of campaign contributions from Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar — to immigrant rights groups after the Chicago Sun-Times highlighted Sankar's contributions. His campaign said Krishnamoorthi's stance on Trump is "crystal clear" and added that the congressman is "fighting tirelessly to hold Donald Trump, ICE and DHS accountable."
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., drew criticism last year for acquiring shares just before the company was granted the $30 million ICE contract. She has clarified that her portfolio is managed by a financial advisor and that she wasn't aware of the trades.
Jackson was among a group of four Congressional Illinois Democrats who were allowed inside the Broadview processing facility in December after being denied entrance in June. The lawmakers — Jesus “Chuy” García, Delia Ramirez, Jackson and Danny Davis — said they were troubled by the conditions they saw in the facility, which has been the setting for heated protests as federal agents conducted immigration arrests across the area under Operation Midway Blitz.
The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act, requires lawmakers to disclose any stock, bond or cryptocurrency sale they make, or transactions made by spouses or dependents, within 45 days. Jackson has twice violated the law with a series of late stock trade disclosures, Open Secrets reported last year. That included being late in disclosing 31 stock trades made earlier in the year by his wife and for a tardy disclosure of up to $300,000 in stock trades from a joint trust in 2023.
Jackson is uncontested in the March 17 primary. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.