The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is set to enhance its monitoring processes by implementing a system that photographs every individual leaving the country by vehicle at border checkpoints. This initiative aims to match travelers’ facial images with their passports, visas, or travel documents, a significant escalation in the documentation of individuals exiting the nation, as reported by WIRED.
This expanded documentation could potentially allow CBP to track self-deportations, a phenomenon that has increased under the Trump administration’s encouragement for unauthorized immigrants residing in the U.S. to depart voluntarily. The agency, in a statement to WIRED, confirmed plans to replicate a program currently being developed for incoming travelers—where their images are captured and matched with travel credentials—for the outbound lanes leading to Canada and Mexico.
As of now, no such monitoring system exists for vehicle departures. Jessica Turner, a spokesperson for CBP, indicated that while the logistics of this outbound photographic system are still being refined, there is a clear intent to advance in this area. However, she was unable to provide a timeline for when this capability might be operational.
Under current protocols, CBP already captures and matches photographs of individuals entering the U.S. with all verified identity documentation. These images, taken during encounters at border crossings, can be stored and utilized for future identifications. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether CBP will eventually incorporate additional data sources or images into its database.
When asked about the potential for the outbound face-matching system to serve as a tool for tracking self-deportations, Turner acknowledged that this might not be an immediate objective, although future developments could shift that focus. She emphasized that the primary purpose of monitoring departures would be to “biometrically confirm departure from the U.S.,” rather than addressing the intentions of individuals entering the country.
CIABP has recently solicited proposals from technology firms on strategies to ensure that every person entering the U.S. by vehicle is photographed and matched to their travel documents effectively. Past trials at the Anzalduas border crossing have revealed challenges with this initiative, as results indicated only a 61% success rate in capturing compliant facial images for verification.
Currently, both CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lack robust methods for tracking self-deportation rates beyond an existing ICE app that allows individuals to notify the agency of their departure. In related developments, ICE has contracted with software company Palantir for $30 million to develop ImmigrationOS, a tool aimed at providing real-time insights into self-deportations, with the goal of generating accurate statistical data on the phenomenon.
