The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced updated guidelines mandating that foreign nationals, including green card holders and other legally residing non-U.S. citizens, be photographed upon entering or leaving the United States.
While Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has already been utilizing facial recognition technology at airport checkpoints, this new directive will expand the practice to encompass all U.S. entry and exit points—whether by air, land, or sea.
This policy change seeks to enhance the CBP’s biometric screening program, aiming for more thorough image and data collection. The goal is to strengthen verification processes and combat document fraud effectively.
The DHS’s recent travel guidance specifies that foreign nationals will now be required to have their photographs taken as they enter or exit the United States. The Associated Press captured this development with a photo by Mark Schiefelbein.
According to a summary in the Federal Register, this final rule modifies DHS regulations to potentially require all non-citizens to be photographed during U.S. entry or departure, and may also demand additional biometrics from non-exempt individuals.
The rule further updates regulations by eliminating references to pilot programs and port limitations. This change will facilitate biometric collection from non-citizens at airports, land borders, seaports, or any designated exit points. Additionally, DHS seeks public feedback on the specific methods of collection and the associated costs and benefits for new transportation modalities.
The rule also lifts previous age exemptions, authorizing facial recognition scans for travelers younger than 14 and older than 79.
CBP is expanding its existing process of photograph and data collection at airport, land and sea borders in an effort to provide enhanced security and additional oversight on travel documents. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images)
“The exemptions in the current regulations for biometric collection based on the age of the individual (i.e., under 14 and over 79) were based on technological limitations on collecting fingerprints from children and elderly persons, as well as traditional law enforcement policies and other policies, such as not running criminal history background checks on children,” the policy stated.
“These exemptions are not applicable to CBP’s facial comparison-based biometric entry-exit program, as the use of biometrics has expanded beyond criminal history background checks and now plays a vital role in identity verification and management, and combatting the trafficking of children,” it added. “Furthermore, internal CBP studies of biometric facial match accuracy, historical matching data, examination of biometric matching of ages under 14 and over 79, and CBP standard operating procedures associated with these ages no longer support exempting facial biometric collection from these populations. Exemptions based on age will continue to apply to biometrics other than facial images.”
The new rules are slated to take effect on Dec. 26. (Getty Images)
The new rules are slated to take effect on Dec. 26.
The new rule comes as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda, which focuses on expanding border surveillance and tightening entry requirements.
