The Department of Homeland Security received $6 billion to develop and improve biometric-collecting AI surveillance systems.
Hidden in the Big Beautiful Bill sits an appropriation of billions of dollars that the Department of Homeland Security is planning to use for “inspection equipment,” which includes innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning related to biometric tracking systems to collect data on individuals entering and exiting the United States.
In section 90004, labeled “Border Security, Technology, and Screening,” the bill emphasizes the use of autonomous systems to track and identify migrants – who the bill names “items of interest” – in real time without the active input of a human.
This causes concern, as a DHS privacy impact assessment regarding surveillance systems alongside the border conducted in 2014 concluded that autonomous surveillance towers used by Customs & Border Protection may record data of individuals living near the towers for miles, collecting information that is beyond the department’s responsibilities, such as people going into doctors appointments or attending social events.
The Government Accountability Office reported last year that the autonomous surveillance towers failed to follow privacy policies put in place to prevent CBP from collecting data on individuals whom it has no concern with.
Similarly, earlier this year, ICE announced a $30 million dollar deal with Palantir for an AI system that tracks immigrants leaving the country.
