Last month, Palantir Technologies announced on X that it was moving its headquarters from Denver, Colorado to Miami, citing Florida’s lower taxes and pro-business environment as the main reasons. The company’s temporary location is now near Aventura Mall, where dozens of South Floridians demonstrated against Palantir’s move Tuesday evening.
The protests mirror similar demonstrations in Denver, where protesters criticized the company’s role in government surveillance and their data mining contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. The protests, as well as other legislative challenges, also prompted Palantir’s move to Aventura.
Advocacy groups such as American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, and Mijente warn that expanded data collection often begins with vulnerable communities before spreading more broadly. Protestors urged local representatives to strengthen protections and focus on educating immigrants and U.S. citizens about their rights.
“This is a bipartisan issue about how much information we allow the government to collect,” said María Asunción Bilbao, the Florida campaign coordinator for AFSC. “Right now, they’re targeting immigrants. Once that agenda is fulfilled, what’s stopping them from looking at other communities?”
Cathy Carrillo, a national organizer with Mijente, said the demonstration is the first of what organizers call “Palantir’s Unwelcoming Party,” adding that more protests and press conferences are planned as the company settles into the state.
It remains unclear where in Miami the company plans to establish a permanent headquarters.
Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated Florida Campaign Coordinator Maria Asuncio Bilbao’s affiliated organization, as Mijente, instead of AFSC.
