Biometrics are now a ‘bedrock’ of traveler identification, CBP official says

Biometric technologies are increasingly becoming a go-to identity verification tool for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, with some federal officials saying that the adoption of facial recognition capabilities is currently outpacing the push toward a universal digital identification. 

From airports to ports of entry, agencies have been deploying biometric tools to verify the identities of travelers, with further adoption of these technologies on the way as a result of enhanced government funding. And with the U.S. set to host an influx of visitors for the FIFA World Cup later this year, officials are looking at better ways to quickly and accurately verify identities.

Starting on Dec. 26, Customs and Border Protection began requiring all non-citizens to submit to biometric identity verifications when entering or leaving the U.S. by air, land or sea. American citizens are able to opt out of the facial recognition program to go through a manual verification process. The new process comes on top of the Transportation Security Administration’s push in recent years to roll out facial recognition tools at all U.S. airports to verify travelers’ identities during security screenings.

During a symposium held by the Homeland Security and Defense Forum on Thursday, Matt Davies — executive director of admissibility and passenger programs in CBP’s Office of Field Operations — said facial biometrics “is the bedrock of what we're trying to do to make sure that we know who the people are that are coming into this country, and that all the vetting and security, the apparatus that we have that goes beyond it, is really compounded on knowing who those people are.”

The growing use of facial biometric tools has raised privacy and civil rights concerns from some lawmakers and civic groups and, in the case of TSA, led to an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s watchdog. Other supporters of a more modern verification process see digital identifications as a streamlined approach for individuals to confirm who they are. 

These digital IDs, which have already been adopted by more than a dozen states, allow citizens to store their personal data on their phones or within apps to verify their identities. Some lawmakers have even called for the federal government to take more of a leading role in verifying the underlying software of these authentication technologies to pave the way for their broader use.

Davies said, however, that current technologies and allocated funding are more focused on the expansion of facial recognition tools. 

“I think there's value in digital travel credentials, but I think a lot of the infrastructure that we're built on already in terms of our biometric holdings has really allowed us to really leapfrog the digital travel credential need in terms of something that's stored on the device, that's presented by a traveler,” he said. 

Davies noted that last year’s Big, Beautiful Bill included additional funding for CBP to expand out some of its current, more airport-focused security practices. And the technologies that the agency is looking to adopt further, in some cases, are app-based and allow for travelers and citizens to have more control over their own biometrics and personal data. 

“We don't have the capability today, as it stands in vehicle lanes at the land border, to take photos or fingerprints from people,” he said. “That would just shut down commerce. But we're looking to implement some technology solutions that are going to allow us to do that. One of those things is putting the power in the hands of the individual, so something like Mobile Passport Control that we've launched at our airports and been very successful over the last number of years.”

Davies said the agency is looking to launch Mobile Passport Control next week for pedestrians at U.S. ports of entry — first in Blaine, Washington; Buffalo, New York; Eagle Pass, Texas; and San Diego, California. He added that CBP is hoping to expand it further to include vehicles, so that individuals can help streamline the process “without forcing the officer to try to click a photo of everyone, or to set up 17 different cameras from different angles to adjust for environmental conditions.”

Tim Ahrens, the artificial intelligence and automation team lead at the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, said the agency is less focused on a specific verification approach and more on “making the data that is necessary for all of our interagency partners to advance — whether it's biometric scanning, whether it is more of a digital experience — of making that data available in real time.”

Ahrens said State has also been engaging with interagency partners and its foreign counterparts to better understand approaches to identity verification. While he didn’t know if biometrics or digital IDs would become the de facto verification approach moving forward, he said “we're definitely modernizing all of our systems and our environments, bringing that data forward to partner up with biometric capabilities.” 

Thursday’s summit was held the same day that the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement held a hearing to discuss some of the inspection technologies used to scan individuals and passengers at U.S. ports of entry. 

Diane Sabatino, CBP’s acting executive assistant commissioner with the Office of Field Operations, told the panel in his written statement that non-invasive technologies like AI and facial biometrics enhanced his office’s ability “to detect contraband, verify identities, and streamline inspections, all while maintaining the flow of lawful trade and travel.”