ICE Deploys Facial-Recognition Technology to Accelerate Immigration Arrests Under Trump

Key Facts

Published: January 5, 2026 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Wall Street Journal

• ICE now uses mobile facial-recognition technology to instantly identify suspected illegal immigrants, dramatically speeding up arrests and reducing mistaken detentions.
• Congressional funding has made ICE the most well-funded federal law-enforcement agency, enabling advanced technology to carry out President Trump’s mass-deportation and public-safety agenda.
• Civil-liberties groups warn of privacy concerns, while administration officials argue the tool strengthens lawful enforcement and protects Americans by targeting criminal offenders.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has dramatically expanded the use of mobile facial-recognition technology during President Donald Trump’s second term, allowing agents to identify suspected illegal immigrants within seconds and accelerating enforcement operations, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The technology, known as Mobile Fortify, enables ICE officers to photograph a suspect with a smartphone and instantly verify identity and immigration status through multiple government databases. Until recently, such checks required time-consuming reviews across separate systems and often led to temporary detentions of individuals later found to be legally present or even U.S. citizens.

Officials say the new tool has made arrests faster and more accurate, reducing mistakes while enhancing public safety. With a $75 billion funding boost from Congress this summer, ICE has become the most heavily funded federal law-enforcement agency and is using the resources to advance President Trump’s pledge to carry out large-scale removals of criminal and illegal immigrants.

“President Trump’s core promise to the American people was to remove criminal and public-safety threats in large numbers,” said Chad Wolf, now chairman of homeland security and immigration at the America First Policy Institute. “These technologies provide federal law enforcement tools to make that challenge more manageable.”

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, confirmed that Mobile Fortify is a lawful enforcement tool developed during the Trump administration to support accurate identity and immigration-status verification. DHS officials say the app returns only confirmed matches, filtering out uncertain results, and has already been used more than 100,000 times nationwide.

During a July operation in Florida observed by a Journal reporter, ICE officers used the app to identify two Guatemalan men stopped by a state trooper. One had previously been encountered by Border Patrol and issued a notice to appear in immigration court, officers said.

The app can access criminal and immigration databases containing records of prior border encounters and arrests. DHS disputes claims that it scrapes social media or open-source data, saying its use is governed by strict legal and privacy oversight.

Civil-liberties groups have raised alarms, arguing the technology enables widespread surveillance without consent. “It can be used to point at people in the street or in cars and scan their facial prints,” said American Civil Liberties Union policy counsel Kate Voigt.

Supporters of the program counter that the technology helps law enforcement focus on known offenders while minimizing wrongful detentions. They also note that facial-recognition tools were already used by the federal government under the Biden administration, including at airports and border crossings, despite earlier technical issues that were later corrected.

Mobile Fortify was initially developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and limited to agents near the southern border. DHS lawyers had previously resisted broader use, citing legal risks. That position changed after Trump returned to office, clearing the way for nationwide deployment.

Administration officials argue the expanded use reflects a broader shift back to enforcement-first immigration policy, prioritizing border security, public safety, and the rule of law.

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