VANCOUVER — United States procurement records show that Vancouver tech firm Hootsuite is providing social media services to the Department of Homeland Security — five years after it axed a contract with U.S. immigration authorities amid a staff backlash.
The emergence of the fresh contracts between the U.S. government and New York-based Seneca Strategic Partners comes amid criticism for the tactics of American immigration officers whose actions fall under Homeland Security control.
The deals have also prompted a warning from a tech ethicist that companies need to think beyond the short term, and instead consider their place in history.
A U.S. procurement site shows the contracts, which were first reported by Business in Vancouver, are worth up to US$2.8 million. The contracts started in August 2024 and are scheduled to last two years, with the possibility of a further three-year extension to August 2029.
The deal is for “social media management platform Hootsuite and support services,” although the site does not explain the relationship between Hootsuite and Seneca, which describes itself as a federal government contracting business wholly owned by the Seneca Nation of Indians.
Hootsuite did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A release posted by the Department of Homeland Security last year says the department will “only use” Hootsuite to manage its social media channels to “improve the delivery of information and services to the general public, while promoting transparency and accountability, as a service for those seeking information about, or services from, the department.”
Edmonton-based tech ethicist Katrina Ingram said she was disappointed to learn about the contracts.
Ingram, founder and CEO of Ethically Aligned AI, said she questioned whether Hootsuite was “upholding the ethical values that it said that it has,” pointing to a code of ethics on Hootsuite’s site.
It says all employees “must conduct Hootsuite’s business in a way that is fair, ethical, and honest.”
Ingram, who used to work in tech companies in B.C., said it’s hard to talk about technology now without thinking about geopolitical and economic matters.
“There’s a whole bunch of factors that impact how people operate at the end of the day, and we are in a really different place than we were even a couple of years ago,” said Ingram.
Every tech company had the freedom to decide how to run its business and who they partner with, and Ingram said it could be challenging to “walk away from millions of dollars.”
“It’s challenging to make that choice, but it’s not an impossible choice to make,” said Ingram.
She said companies should “play the long game” and think about where they “want to go down in history.”
“It’s tempting just to think about things in the short term — short-term benefits, short-term incentives. I think that it gets us into trouble.”
Hootsuite was founded in 2008 and employs about 1,000 people across the globe.
In 2020, the company’s then chief executive Tom Keiser announced it had axed a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a “broad emotional and passionate” reaction from staff.
He did not share why staff were concerned, but said the issue created a divided company and it was not the kind of business he wanted to lead, so he reversed the decision.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been at the forefront of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, with the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, triggering widespread protests.
The Department of Homeland Security says in a statement on Tuesday that it has removed more than 670,000 “illegal aliens” from American communities, and another two million have “self-deported.”
Last month, The Canadian Press reported that ICE had earmarked millions of dollars for a bulk order for 20 armoured vehicles from Canadian defence manufacturer Roshel.
U.S. government procurement records showed the department laying out plans for a rush order worth the equivalent of about C$10 million for 20 Senator STANG emergency response tactical vehicles.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2026.
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
