Congress Pushes Bill to Give ICE New Powers Over Retail Theft

The Center could access license-plate readers in retail parking lots, store-wide surveillance cameras, and share “confidential” data—including identities and financial details—under federal law, provided the director signs off on each disclosure. The House passed CORCA and sent it to the Senate Judiciary Committee; sponsors plan to attach it as an amendment to the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced the bill last year with bipartisan backing. Thirteen Democratic senators, including Amy Klobuchar, Mark Warner, and Dick Durbin (Democratic Whip), co-sponsored it. The legislation frames “organized retail crime” as a coordinated effort by poly-criminal groups whose stolen-goods profits allegedly fund drug, weapons, and human-smuggling operations. It would centralize investigative data from the FBI, DEA, U.S.

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The National Retail Federation (NRF), a trade group that lobbies for the bill, previously claimed that organized retail crime accounted for 50 % of the nearly $100 billion in merchandise loss in 2021. In 2023 the NRF retracted that figure, stating the loss share was closer to 5 % of the total. The discrepancy underscores ongoing debate over the scale of the problem the legislation seeks to address.

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Grassley’s office issued a press release urging inclusion of the amendment in the NDAA, citing endorsements from executives at Amazon, Home Depot, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Proponents argue the measure will “reduce violent crime” and protect store shelves from theft.

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Civil-rights groups warn that expanding ICE’s domestic surveillance could erode constitutional protections. The ACLU’s senior policy counsel Jina John and senior counsel Nina Patel argue the bill would institutionalize broad data sharing between retailers and DHS, raising the risk of misuse.

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• “This would formalize a mechanism for retailers to share data about consumers with DHS.” — Jina John

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• “As a result, ICE would have more access to information and more sway over local law enforcement — which means more opportunities for ICE to misuse data and target people in violation of their rights,” — Nina Patel

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