Immigrant rights group targets N.J. Democrats over campaign cash from Palantir

A rally is planned at Rep. Gottheimer’s office to urge him to give away the donations

A handful of prominent New Jersey Democrats have taken thousands in campaign donations from executives at Palantir, the controversial firm dubbed the “top tech enabler” of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The two decades’ worth of contributions, mostly from C-suite executives at right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel’s Palantir Technologies, have benefited big-time Garden State politicians like Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Sen. Andy Kim, Rep. Donald Norcross, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill, according to a database created by immigration activists and flagged by Make the Road New Jersey, a not-for-profit advocacy group based in Elizabeth. 

That’s troubling because the Denver-based Palantir has a lengthy and lucrative relationship with ICE to build data-mining and surveillance tools that help the agency “conduct mass data aggregation used to track, target, detain, and deport immigrants,” the organization said in a press release. 

“As ICE is terrorizing our communities and arresting and disappearing thousands of immigrants, Palantir is providing key surveillance technology to ICE,”  Nedia Morsy, Make the Road’s executive director, said Thursday. “The apps provide a Google Maps-like interface so ICE can track and detain immigrants, and suggest targets for raids.”

“We are organizing because no elected official in New Jersey should accept any money from Palantir,” she continued. “It’s one of ICE’s top contractors, and we’re calling on every single elected official to refuse Palantir money.” 

Palantir has received more than $2.5 billion in taxpayer-funded federal contracts, the group said. And the “Palantir Payroll,” which Make the Road later said it did not create, “connects the dots between Palantir and Washington, making those ties easier to follow and harder to ignore,” according to the site. 

The database doesn’t just focus on New Jersey; it details nearly $7 million in donations to some of the biggest names in national politics, including President Donald Trump, former presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, among others.

Just five people were responsible for about 85% of employees’ political contributions: Palantir CEO Alex Karp; former senior advisor Jacob Helberg; CTO and Vice President Shyam Sankar; CTO and President of U.S. Government Business Akash Jain; and head of government affairs and public policy Mehdi Alhassani, the report said.

Trump was by far the biggest beneficiary, taking in more than $2 million since 2006.

Other big winners included Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who took more than $286,000; Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who received more than $148,000; Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, who took about $105,000; and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who also received $105,000.

In New Jersey, Gottheimer, a centrist Democrat who has represented the state’s 5th Congressional District since 2017, took in $13,600 from Palantir — by far the most in the state’s congressional delegation.

That sum includes a $1,000 donation from Alhassani in September 2019; another $1,000 from Alhassani in October 2023; $3,300 from Karp in July 2024; and $3,300 from Alhassani in August 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.

In response, Make the Road is planning a March 2 protest so constituents can voice their displeasure and nudge him to give away any money sent by Palantir’s employees, as other Democratic politicians have.

“Participants will urge him to reject corporate surveillance profiteering, stand with impacted communities rather than billionaires, and publicly commit to refusing campaign contributions from Palantir,” the release said.

The group initially said it would protest at his office, but later clarified the demonstration would happen at the Fair Lawn municipal building. 

The “Purge Palantir” database does not detail who donated to which campaigns, or when they did so. It also doesn’t say if an individual employee sent cash, or if the funds came from Palantir’s corporate political action committee.

But many of the donations to New Jersey’s politicians came from one man: Mehdi Alhassani.

A former Special Assistant to the Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama, Alhassani regularly donates to Democratic causes and candidates and seems to have taken a keen interest in New Jersey politics.

Alhassani has sent money to Kim’s campaigns about a dozen times, and his donations have totaled more than $6,000 since 2018, according to federal election records.

He was also responsible for the entirety of Palantir’s contributions to Sherrill’s various congressional campaigns, which totaled about $1,600, records show.

He also donated $500 to Democratic Rep. Donald Norcross of New Jersey’s 1st District in July 2022, and sent Sen. Cory Booker a $250 donation in March 2013.

Palantir did not respond to requests for comment, nor did reps for Gottheimer, Kim, Norcross, and Booker.

The governor’s office also did not respond.

The online tracker did not list any New Jersey Republicans who took money from the execs.

Other politicians nationwide have already sworn off donations from the company and donated what they already took in, including Colorado Rep. Jason Crow and U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, both of whom received between $50,000 and $60,000.

Both men said they’d donate tens of thousands of dollars to immigrant rights groups to offset the Palantir money, according to The Colorado Sun.

Democratic Reps. Pat Ryan of New York and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois have also disavowed the company and given away their donations, the outlet said.