This article may contain commentary
which reflects the author’s opinion.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finalized new immigration enforcement measures that expand biometric screening at U.S. borders and increase scrutiny of certain visa and permanent resident applicants, according to a rule published this week.
The changes center on a DHS regulation titled “Collection of Biometric Data from Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure from the United States,” which authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect facial biometric data from all non-U.S. citizens entering or leaving the country. The rule removes previous age-based exemptions, meaning biometric data may now be collected from travelers of all ages.
Under the policy, CBP will use facial recognition technology to compare live images of travelers against existing passport, visa, and immigration records. If a facial match cannot be confirmed, officials may collect additional biometric identifiers, including fingerprints or iris scans.
DHS officials said the expanded biometric entry-exit system is intended to strengthen identity verification, reduce document fraud, and improve the government’s ability to track visa overstays and detect individuals attempting to enter the country using false or altered identities.
The biometric screening program will initially be deployed at major U.S. airports, with plans to expand to land border crossings and seaports over the next several years. DHS estimates full nationwide implementation could take three to five years.
U.S. citizens are not required to participate in facial biometric screening and may opt out in favor of traditional document checks. DHS stated that images of U.S. citizens collected during voluntary participation will be deleted within 12 hours. Biometric data collected from noncitizens may be retained for extended periods for immigration and law enforcement purposes, consistent with federal record-keeping policies.
The new biometric rule is being introduced alongside tighter visa and immigration reviews for nationals of 19 countries identified by DHS for enhanced security screening. Applicants from those countries may experience additional questioning, documentation requirements, or longer processing times at ports of entry.
Advertisement
DHS said the measures align with longstanding congressional directives calling for a comprehensive biometric entry-exit system and reflect recommendations dating back to post-September 11 security reviews.
Officials emphasized that the changes are designed to modernize border operations while improving national security and immigration enforcement efficiency.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced late last week that the Trump administration will suspend the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, known as the “visa lottery,” after officials confirmed that the suspect in the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of an MIT professor entered the United States through that system.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem wrote on X. “At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”
Noem identified the suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who received a green card through the diversity visa lottery in 2017.
Federal authorities say Valente killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University on Dec. 13 before allegedly shooting and killing MIT professor Nuno Loureiro two days later in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Valente was found dead by suicide Thursday night in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, ending a multi-state manhunt. “This tragedy underscores the national security risks of random immigration lotteries,” Noem said.
The Diversity Visa Program, created by Congress in 1990, issues up to 50,000 immigrant visas each year through a random lottery to individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. Applicants must have a high school education or qualifying work experience and undergo background checks before receiving green cards.
President Trump has long criticized the program, calling it a “national security disaster” that allows people to enter the country “without regard for merit.”
