The United States is planning to photograph every non-citizen as they enter and leave the country, citing much-improved facial recognition technology.
According to a filing in the Federal Register on Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will expand on the photo and data gathering already in place at land, sea, and airport borders, in an effort to crack down on fraudulent travel documents and increase national security.
The new rules would apply to all non-U.S. citizens, including immigrants living in the country and those with green cards.
Why It Matters
While the rule was first floated in 2021, the changes are part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to tighten border controls and prevent illegal immigration by using new technology. Some experts have raised concerns in recent months about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ‘s efforts to access more data, including from the IRS and the Social Security Administration.
What To Know
The new measures, set to take full effect on December 26, 2025, would allow U.S. border authorities to photograph non-citizens at any point of departure from the country. Other biometric data could also be collected.
While CBP already asks visitors, immigrants with visas and green cards, and some U.S. citizens to have their photo and fingerprints taken, and the TSA does use facial recognition to verify travel documents at some airports, requiring this data on every exit would be new.
CBP would also be given permission to use facial recognition technology for children under 14 and those over 79, groups currently exempt.
The Trump administration said that having a fully-integrated entry-exit system like this would make it easier for DHS to track immigrants who overstay their visas, or who are seeking to circumvent immigration laws in other ways.
CBP acknowledged difficulties in rolling out the system without dedicated, secure exit lanes at ports, but said that improvements in facial recognition technology now allow this to be addressed.
CBP will be able to create galleries of images associated with individuals, including photos taken by border agents, and from passports or other travel documents. These will then be compared directly with live photos taken at entry and exit points.
What People Are Saying
CBP, in its Federal Register filing: “Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit system that compares biometric data of aliens collected upon arrival with biometric data collected upon departure helps address the national security concerns arising from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of legitimate travel documentation, aliens who remain in the United States beyond their period of authorized stay (overstays) or are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, as well as incorrect or incomplete biographic data for travelers.”
What Happens Next
CBP estimates the new system could be fully rolled out within three to five years. A public comment period is expected to open on October 27.
