ICE Plans Up to $2 Million Purchase of Boston Dynamics Spot Robots

FORT BENNING, UNITED STATES — A newly published DHS procurement forecast calls for ICE to acquire Boston Dynamics Spot robots for hazardous-area inspection, situational awareness and other law-enforcement operations.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing a purchase of Boston Dynamics' four-legged Spot robots and accessories valued at between $1 million and $2 million, according to a federal acquisition record published Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security forecast identifies the acquisition as a new requirement for ICE's Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs and lists Fort Benning, Georgia, as the place of performance. The government anticipates releasing a solicitation on September 4 and making an award during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Contract completion is currently projected for April 24, 2027.

The record does not state how many robots ICE intends to acquire, nor does it disclose the final package of sensors, cameras or manipulation equipment that would accompany them. The $2 million figure is the top of the government's estimated range, rather than an already awarded contract.

ICE says the machines would give personnel a remotely operated way to inspect hazardous locations, gather situational information and assess environments that may be unsafe for officers. DHS specifically identifies dangerous, confined, unstable and difficult-to-access areas as potential operating environments.

Federal record provides a timeline for the planned purchase

The acquisition forecast, record F2026075113, was published by DHS on August 27. It describes a firm-fixed-price purchase and identifies the requirement as noncompetitive. The listed acquisition range begins at $1 million and reaches $2 million.

Those details provide a more precise picture of the procurement than the headline figure alone. ICE has not yet awarded the purchase, and the forecast's anticipated solicitation and award dates remain planning milestones rather than completed transactions.

The Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs is responsible for ICE use-of-force policy, training and equipment. ICE says the office supplies specialized firearms and tactical training as well as equipment and operational guidance intended to support officer and public safety.

Fort Benning already has a documented connection to the office's tactical operations. ICE records show that its national Special Response Team training and certification program has operated there, while Defense Department material also identifies an ICE Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs presence at the Georgia installation.

What Spot can do — and what the procurement record does not say

Boston Dynamics markets Spot as a mobile inspection platform capable of navigating terrain that can be difficult or risky for human workers. Current manufacturer specifications list a 360-degree horizontal sensing field of view, maximum speed of 1.6 meters per second, maximum payload of 14 kilograms and average battery runtime of about 90 minutes.

Some capabilities depend on optional equipment rather than the base robot.

Boston Dynamics' Spot Arm, for example, has a gripper and six degrees of freedom and can grasp, lift, carry, drag and manipulate objects. The manufacturer says the arm can be used to open doors, operate switches and inspect objects through an integrated camera.

Similarly, the company's Spot CAM+ payload provides a spherical camera with a 360-by-170-degree field of view, while other camera configurations can provide zoom and thermal capabilities.

The DHS forecast, however, refers broadly to Spot robots and accessories. It does not publicly specify that every ICE unit would receive an arm, thermal camera or any particular optional payload. Those capabilities therefore should not be treated as confirmed features of the eventual ICE configuration.

Nor does the procurement notice describe Spot as an attack robot or announce plans to arm the machines.

Secret Service has already deployed Spot

ICE would not be the first federal law-enforcement organization associated with Spot.

Boston Dynamics robots attracted widespread attention in November 2024 after units bearing U.S. Secret Service markings were observed patrolling the grounds of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Contemporary reporting described the robots as unarmed and capable of operating under remote control or following programmed routes.

That deployment illustrated one of the central advantages federal agencies see in quadruped robots: sensors can be moved into an area while personnel remain at a distance.

The ICE acquisition record uses similar reasoning. DHS says the planned capability is intended to improve officer safety and provide information for operational decisions when an environment presents physical hazards.

The notice also places the purchase within DHS's broader responsibility for border, transportation and infrastructure security. It does not, however, identify specific border sectors, detention facilities or cities where ICE plans to deploy the robots. Any claim about their eventual operational locations would go beyond what the procurement record currently establishes.

Purchase joins broader ICE equipment spending

The Spot plan emerges while ICE is also expanding purchases of other law-enforcement equipment.

On August 28, ICE awarded a $16.7 million contract for 6,000 pairs of gloves capable of delivering electrical shocks, a separate acquisition that has drawn objections from civil-rights advocates and Democratic senators concerned about potential misuse. ICE and DHS have defended the equipment as a means of protecting personnel and reducing reliance on more severe forms of force.

The two acquisitions are operationally different: Spot is a mobile robotic sensing and inspection platform, while the gloves are use-of-force equipment. Their proximity nevertheless highlights the purchasing role of ICE's Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, which agency records say manages law-enforcement equipment as well as tactical training and use-of-force policy.

The next concrete milestone for the robot procurement is the anticipated September 4 solicitation. Until ICE releases that material or makes an award, the number of Spot units, their precise equipment configuration and the final amount the government will spend remain unresolved