ICE Expands Biometric Surveillance with $25M Iris Scanner Contract

• •DHS awarded a $25 million contract for 1,570 biometric scanners to BI2 Technologies.
• •The technology includes iris scanning, facial recognition, and fingerprint identification.
• •Privacy experts express concerns over the collection of biometric data from immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security has awarded a $25 million contract to BI2 Technologies for 1,570 biometric scanners, including iris scanning technology, to enhance immigration enforcement. This contract follows a previous $4.6 million trial and allows ICE agents to access a database of over five million records. Privacy concerns have been raised regarding the collection of biometric data from undocumented immigrants, as the technology is linked to law enforcement databases. The use of iris recognition technology aims to identify individuals during immigration operations, which has already led to the detention and deportation of asylum seekers. The deal was made without competitive bidding, citing Bi2's unmatched capabilities. The deployment of these scanners could significantly increase ICE's surveillance capabilities across the U.S.