DHS Resurrects Border Biometric Rule

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is making a renewed effort to expand biometric surveillance at national borders, reviving a rule initially proposed under the first Trump administration. The rule mandates the collection of facial images and other biometric identifiers from nearly all non-US citizens entering or exiting the country, including minors.

The move coincides with legislative developments that provide the funding to bolster DHS’s capacity to implement such systems. Under the sweeping ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ (House of Representatives Bill 1), approximately $21 billion has been allocated for border technology enhancements. This includes $6.2 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deploy biometric screening systems at ports of entry and $5.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) infrastructure modernisation, with $2.5 billion earmarked specifically for AI and biometric platforms.