ICE Plans to Develop Own Smart Glasses to ‘Supplement’ Its Facial Recognition App
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is exploring the development of a pair of smart glasses that would ‘supplement’ the agency’s facial recognition Mobile Fortify application, which lets officers scan someone’s face to verify their citizenship, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official. Another person who attended a conference where a senior ICE official spoke about the plans also described them to 404 Media.
The smart glasses, if they come to fruition, would be another technological escalation in the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. 404 Media previously revealed ICE and Customs Border Protection (CBP) were using the internal app Mobile Fortify to scan people’s faces, and instantly query a wide range of government databases to decide whether to detain the person or not.
Matthew Elliston, assistant director of Law Enforcement Systems & Analysis at ICE, said in a meeting that the plan to create smart glasses was to ‘supplement Mobile Fortify,’ the DHS official stated. 404 Media granted the official anonymity as they weren’t permitted to speak to the press.
Separately, during the 2026 Border Security Expo which took place this week, Elliston was speaking. A participant asked Elliston what technologies the agency was looking for, according to Kenny Morris from the American Friends Service Committee who attended the conference. Elliston’s answer included ‘wearable heads up displays,’ Morris said.
Elliston then stated that assaults against ICE officials were up 1400 percent (similar figures have been disputed in press reports), and that smart glasses would let officers be hands-free to respond to any threats, Morris said.
Key Takeaways:
- The ICE plans to develop smart glasses to supplement its facial recognition Mobile Fortify application.
- Assaults against ICE officials have increased significantly, prompting the development of smart glasses for better protection.
- DHS has acknowledged no funds have been committed to ‘smart glasses’ at this time.
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