Cook County board approves renewal of APPRIS contract after activists and commissioners press to limit ICE access

Cook County commissioners voted Oct. 23 to renew a victim‑notification contract with APPRIS — a vendor owned by Equifax — after extended public comment and floor discussion about how the vendor's broader commercial products can be used to share sensitive personal data.

Community advocates told the board the contract risks enabling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies to obtain personal information about residents via data brokers. "Cutting off access to ICE through that pipeline won't prevent other agencies from sharing access to ICE," said Laura Rivera, a senior staff attorney with Just Futures Law, urging the board to remove a "risk solutions" clause that she said allows data resale.

The amendment placed before the board restricts APPRIS's ability to provide information to ICE, according to John Horahan, chief financial officer for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, who said the renewal includes language aimed at limiting immigration‑related access. Horahan said the office is continuing negotiations to add other federal agencies of concern and that this one‑year renewal is intended to buy time until a new procurement can be completed.

Advocates and several commissioners said the amendment does not go far enough. "We don't sell public data that people produce to us in the course of engaging with the Cook County criminal justice system," Commissioner Dennis Deer (Cook County Commissioner) argued on the floor; Commissioner Peter Naya said the county should set procurement parameters up front so future contracts preclude these kinds of loopholes.

State's Attorney staff and county counsel said the existing contract was negotiated years ago and contains provisions that are difficult to unwind immediately without interrupting victim‑notification services. Horahan said the current renewal is the final extension under the present contract, which will expire Oct. 31, 2026; the state's attorney's office plans to run a full new procurement process ahead of that date.

Commissioners pressed for concrete timelines and for staff to share proposed contract language before final execution. "If you're allowed to ethically within our procurement rules, I would like to see a copy of the contract that's gonna be agreed to before it goes final," one commissioner said.

The board ultimately approved the renewal and several commissioners were recorded as voting "present" on item 25‑38‑81 during the roll call on the floor. Commissioners noted they intend to press for removal of the risk‑solutions language in the forthcoming procurement and to pursue changes to the county's detainer ordinance to prevent indirect data sharing through commercial brokers.

Next steps noted on the record: the State's Attorney's Office will (1) continue to negotiate amendments with the vendor, (2) develop procurement specifications for a new contract to be solicited before the current contract ends on Oct. 31, 2026, and (3) collaborate with commissioners on possible ordinance language that would limit indirect data sharing to federal immigration enforcement and other agencies identified by the board.

Evidence and provenance: testimony from Just Futures Law, Mijente and Mi Gente framed the central concerns about the vendor's "risk solutions" product and its potential resale of data; county staff described the legal and procurement constraints on immediate contract changes.