Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7124

Congress Proposes Ban on Homeland Security Facial Recognition Apps Outside of Border Crossings

Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act

2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Democrats Push to Ban Biometric Surveillance by ICE and CBP

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This proposal from Mr. Thompson of Mississippi would stop the Department of Homeland Security from using certain facial recognition apps on mobile phones in most places. These apps would only be allowed at official border crossings or international airports.
The Department would have to delete any photos or fingerprints of U.S. citizens that were already collected using these specific apps. They would also have to remotely disable the software on any phones that are not owned by the Department.
Under these rules, the Department would be banned from sharing these facial recognition tools with local police, state agencies, or other parts of the federal government.
If the government does use these apps at a border crossing to identify someone, they would be required to destroy that person's photos or fingerprints within 12 hours of capturing them.
This plan aims to increase privacy for Americans by making sure law enforcement cannot use these powerful tracking tools during routine daily life away from the country's borders.

Data PrivacyCivil RightsImmigrationNational SecurityTechnology

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(2)

Visa Holder

Neutral

Reduces surveillance in daily life but may still face facial recognition scans when entering or leaving the country at ports of entry.

Federal Employee

Neutral

DHS employees can only use these apps at ports of entry, limiting their enforcement tools but protecting civil liberties.

Positive Impacts(4)

Immigrant

Helps

Limits facial recognition tracking outside ports of entry, reducing surveillance during daily activities and interactions with immigration enforcement.

Undocumented

Helps

Restricts DHS use of facial recognition apps in communities, limiting identification and tracking capabilities away from borders.

Naturalized Citizen

Helps

Biometric data captured by these apps must be destroyed within 12 hours, protecting privacy rights of U.S. citizens.

Tribal Member

Helps

Prevents DHS from sharing facial recognition apps with tribal law enforcement agencies, limiting surveillance technology spread.

Political Response

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 15, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

30 days after the bill becomes law

DHS must create new rules limiting facial recognition apps to ports of entry only

The Department has one month to write standards that stop agents from using these tracking apps during patrols, raids, or other enforcement activities away from borders and airports.

Shortly after the 30-day implementation deadline

DHS must delete all existing biometric data of U.S. citizens collected through these apps

Any photos or fingerprints of Americans already captured by Mobile Fortify or Mobile Identify apps will be permanently erased from government databases.

After new standards take effect

Future biometric scans at ports of entry must be destroyed within 12 hours

If you're a U.S. citizen scanned at an airport or border crossing, your facial photo and fingerprints can only be kept for half a day before being deleted.