Sometime in late September, ICE gains access to iris-scanning software that would allow agents to identify an individual from 10-15 inches away using solely the camera on their device.
The agency acquired access to two systems from Bi2 Technologies: the Inmate Identification Recognition System (IRIS) and the Mobile Offender Recognition and Information Systems (MORIS).
IRIS serves as a real-time, iris biometric network; Bi2 Technologies says IRIS allows agencies from across the country to “positively identify individuals in seconds from virtually anywhere.”
ICE agents would have access to IRIS when using MORIS, a software that can be downloaded on any Apple, Android, and Microsoft device. ICE is set to use MORIS for on-the-spot biometric identification and collection.
This is only a growing wave of ICE gaining access to surveillance systems; earlier this year in July it was reported that the Department of Homeland Security received $6 billion to improve biometric collection systems – such as AI surveillance towers – and in April, ICE signed a deal with Palantir for a system that makes it easier to identify and apprehend what the agency calls “items of interests,” or migrants.
Author’s Note
While ICE and the Department of Homeland Security claim the use of surveillance tech is to apprehend migrants, the agency has been known to abuse it’s power and go after American citizens; On September 30, at 1 a.m., ICE busted through the doors and windows of a majority African-American apartment complex and dragged citizens out of their homes in zip-ties, detaining residents for hours; this proves the actions the agency takes in the name of apprehending migrants are those that violate the civil liberties of American citizens.
The tools the agency claims are to surveil migrants today might just be the same tools they use to create a surveillance state for American citizens tomorrow.
