Homeland Security reportedly wants to develop smart glasses for ICE
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly developing smart glasses that could be used to collect intelligence on immigrants and American citizens, journalist Ken Klippenstein reported. The devices would help ICE agents identify “illegal aliens” remotely by capturing video and comparing it to biometric data such as facial recognition and gait, according to budget documents viewed by Klippenstein. DHS wants to deploy “ICE Glasses” by September 2027.
“The project will provide innovative hardware, such as operational prototypes of smart glasses, to equip officers with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field,” the document states. The glasses could allow officers to compare observed subjects with existing biometric databases and identify them in real time during interactions.
Such devices could help make surveillance of U.S. residents “ubiquitous,” according to the report. “This could be presented as an attempt to identify illegal aliens on the streets, but the reality is that a push in this direction affects all Americans, especially protesters,” a DHS attorney speaking on condition of anonymity told Klippenstein.
The deployment of such devices worries civil rights groups, particularly in light of recent law enforcement activities under the Trump administration. The FBI was reportedly ordered by the Justice Department to “compile a list of groups or entities” that demonstrate “anti-Americanism,” according to a previous investigation by Klippenstein.
This isn’t the first time smart glasses have appeared in DHS reports. An investigation by The Independent Last month, ICE and Border Patrol agents in six states were using Meta’s AI smart glasses on their own, in possible violation of DHS rules. Congress has reportedly been briefed on DHS’s Ice Glasses project but has not yet commented publicly.
