U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has rolled out a new mobile application that allows its officers to identify individuals in the field using facial recognition and fingerprint scanning—simply by pointing a government-issued smartphone camera at them. Internal documents obtained by 404 Media reveal that the app, named Mobile Fortify, draws from powerful biometric databases previously used primarily at border crossings and airports.
Originally designed for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to verify travelers entering and exiting the country, the facial recognition system is now being used far from ports of entry. Its repurposing marks a significant step in ICE’s expanding use of surveillance technologies for domestic immigration enforcement, prompting serious concerns from civil liberties advocates about how these tools are being deployed on U.S. soil.
A Smartphone App with Border-Level Power
Mobile Fortify equips ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers with the ability to verify someone’s identity almost instantly—whether through facial images or contactless fingerprints—using only a smartphone. Officers can access real-time biometric results in the field, allowing them to identify individuals without prior knowledge or documentation.
While the app includes a training mode to help officers practice capturing biometric data, ICE’s internal emails caution that fingerprint recognition currently outperforms the facial recognition feature in terms of accuracy.
The technology appears to have already been used during public encounters. A recent video posted online shows ICE officers pointing their phones at a protester sitting inside his vehicle, although it’s unclear whether they were using this specific app or simply recording the interaction.
Linking to Government Databases and Intelligence Systems
The app pulls data from two major systems operated by CBP and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
- Traveler Verification Service (TVS): This program captures travelers’ facial images at U.S. borders and compares them with official documents such as passports and visas.
- Seizure and Apprehension Workflow: An intelligence system that compiles information from past seizures, arrests, and flagged individuals, including those associated with so-called “derogatory” content—though the government hasn’t clearly defined what that entails.
Together, these databases allow Mobile Fortify to search and match faces captured in the field against vast repositories of government-stored images and intelligence records.
In addition to these systems, the app integrates with DHS’s Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) for fingerprint matches, providing officers access to one of the country’s largest collections of biometric data.
Expanded Access Through “Super Query” Feature
ICE officers with access to CBP’s Unified Passenger Login system (UPAX) can unlock a powerful bonus tool called Super Query. This feature deepens the app’s capabilities by allowing agents to query a person’s biometric data across multiple systems, further assisting in determining immigration status and potential grounds for arrest.
Civil Liberties Advocates Sound the Alarm
Privacy groups are raising red flags over ICE’s use of facial recognition in routine enforcement. Nathan Freed Wessler of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the initiative “a recipe for disaster,” noting the technology’s well-documented issues with inaccuracy and its potential to result in wrongful arrests.
“Congress has never given DHS the green light to use facial recognition in this way,” Wessler stated in an email to 404 Media, urging an immediate halt to the program.
Privacy experts have long warned about “surveillance creep”—when technologies developed for national security purposes quietly migrate into general use, often without public debate or oversight. ICE’s deployment of a border-developed tool in local neighborhoods, they argue, is a textbook example of such overreach.
Not ICE’s First Foray Into High-Tech Policing
This is not ICE’s first investment in sophisticated surveillance. The agency has partnered with data mining firm Palantir, under a $30 million contract, to develop systems that locate undocumented immigrants flagged for deportation. Internal communications suggest Palantir is now seen as a fully embedded partner in ICE’s tech-driven strategy.
ICE has also purchased services from Clearview AI, a controversial company that scrapes social media for facial images to build massive facial recognition databases. Records show ICE has spent over $3.6 million on Clearview’s technology. However, unlike Mobile Fortify, Clearview cannot access internal DHS records such as immigration status—highlighting the unique power of government-developed tools.
A Surveillance Arms Race—And Not Just Among Agencies
While federal agencies ramp up their biometric capabilities, the public has also started using similar technologies. Independent developers have created tools like FuckLAPD.com, which identifies Los Angeles police officers using images from public records. The same developer built a site called ICEspy, aimed at revealing the identities of ICE agents, though that platform is now outdated.
In response, ICE officers have taken to wearing face coverings, sunglasses, and hats during enforcement actions to conceal their own identities—raising further questions about transparency and accountability.
Aggressive Targets, Questionable Results
Under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, ICE was tasked with making 3,000 arrests daily—a quota that has driven aggressive enforcement tactics across the country. Yet despite the sweeping use of these tools, the outcomes have drawn criticism.
According to data obtained by NBC News, ICE has only arrested 6% of known immigrant murder suspects. At the same time, many of the people currently in ICE custody are long-term residents with no criminal record—nearly half haven’t been charged with or convicted of any crime.
In cities like Los Angeles, ICE’s presence has intensified, disproportionately impacting nonviolent, working immigrants who’ve lived in the U.S. for years.
