TL;DR: ICE deployed Mobile Fortify, a smartphone app that lets agents scan your face and fingerprints anywhere in the US, search a database of 270 million people, and store your biometrics for 15 years, even if you're a US citizen and no match is found. You cannot refuse. There are no formal rules. And ICE officials say they'll prioritize app results over your birth certificate.
What Mobile Fortify Does
In early 2025, ICE quietly deployed Mobile Fortify, a smartphone app that transforms every agent into a walking biometric surveillance terminal [1].
Core Capabilities
Using only their government-issued smartphones, ICE agents can:
- Facial recognition: Photograph your face and search it against 200+ million images
- Contactless fingerprints: Scan fingerprints without touching you
- Iris scanning: Capture iris patterns for identification
- Real-time results: Get identity matches in near-real-time
The "Super Query"
Mobile Fortify's most powerful feature is called "Super Query" [2]. An agent can input:
- A person's name
- A face scan
- A fingerprint
- Vehicle registration
- Phone number
- Other identifying data
The app returns a detailed dossier including:
- Full name and date of birth
- Nationality
- Digital photo
- Immigration status
- Criminal history
- Unique identifiers
One search. One app. A complete profile on anyone in the database.
The Databases Behind the App
Mobile Fortify doesn't just check one database. It connects to the entire DHS biometric infrastructure [1].
IDENT/HART
The Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) contains biometric records on over 270 million individuals [2]. Its successor, the Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) platform, is being integrated with even more data sources.
Traveler Verification Service (TVS)
CBP's system for verifying travelers at ports of entry, now accessible from any street corner via Mobile Fortify.
Enforcement Integrated Database
Immigration enforcement records across DHS.
Palantir Integration
Mobile Fortify feeds into Palantir's analytics platforms, the same systems ICE uses to build dossiers on targets and plan enforcement operations.
No Consent Required
The most chilling detail is buried in official documents:
"ICE does not provide the opportunity for individuals to decline or consent to the collection and use of biometric data/photograph collection." [3]
You cannot say no. There is no opt-out. If an ICE agent points their phone at your face, your biometrics go into the system.
US Citizens Included
Another document states that officers may use Mobile Fortify to collect information "regardless of citizenship or immigration status" [3].
This isn't just an immigration tool. It's a domestic biometric surveillance app that can be used on anyone.
App Results Trump Documentation
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told 404 Media something alarming [4]:
ICE officials have said they will prioritize the results of a Mobile Fortify hit over documented proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
Thompson called the practice "frightening, repugnant, and unconstitutional."
If the app says you're deportable, your documents don't matter. The algorithm wins.
15-Year Data Retention
Mobile Fortify's Privacy Threshold Analysis makes a contradictory claim [3]:
What they say: "Mobile Fortify does not retain records on the app itself."
What actually happens: CBP saves every photograph and fingerprint in backend systems for fifteen years.
The app is just a capture device. Your biometrics flow to DHS databases where they're kept for a decade and a half, even if:
- No match is found
- You're a US citizen
- You're never charged with anything
- The encounter results in no action
Scanned once, tracked for 15 years.
The Oversight Vacuum
No Formal Rules
DHS has not issued formal rules clarifying [1]:
- Who may use Mobile Fortify
- Which populations it targets
- What legal authorities justify its use
- What audit controls apply
- How long data may be stored
The agency is deploying mass biometric surveillance without telling the public the rules, because there aren't any.
Inspector General Warnings
A February 2025 DHS Office of Inspector General audit warned of "significant risks" with deploying AI and biometric systems without oversight [5]:
"Without proper oversight DHS faces increased risk [its AI] efforts will infringe upon the safety and rights of the American people."
The warning was issued. Mobile Fortify was deployed anyway.
Device Security Failures
A September 2024 audit found [1]:
- 73% of ICE mobile devices lacked proper security settings
- 30% of disposed devices had "unclear or missing sanitization logs"
The same agency that can't secure its devices is collecting biometrics on 270 million people.
Beyond ICE: The Expansion
Local Law Enforcement Access
Mobile Fortify isn't just for federal agents anymore. CBP uploaded the app to the Google Play store, making it available to deputized local officers [4].
When local police are deputized for immigration enforcement, they get access to federal biometric surveillance tools. The line between local policing and federal surveillance disappears.
The Fortify the Border Connection
The Privacy Threshold Analysis explicitly links Mobile Fortify to President Trump's January 20, 2025 executive order on immigration enforcement [3]. The app is part of a broader "Fortify the Border" effort.
What started as border technology is now street-level surveillance across the entire country.
Constitutional Questions
Fourth Amendment Issues
Border surveillance has legal authority rooted in consent-based processes at ports of entry. Using those same systems in domestic policing raises different questions [1]:
- Is a biometric scan a "search" requiring a warrant?
- Can you be compelled to submit to facial recognition?
- What due process exists if the app is wrong?
The Misidentification Risk
Facial recognition systems consistently misidentify people, especially those with darker skin. When the app says you're someone you're not:
- ICE says the app result beats your documents
- There's no clear appeals process
- Your biometrics are stored for 15 years
- The error follows you
Congressional Concern
Democratic senators have sent letters to ICE expressing concern about "the apparent use of facial recognition technology indiscriminately on Americans" [6]. ICE continues deployment anyway.
What You Can Do
If Approached
• You have the right to remain silent
• You do not have to consent to searches (though they may scan anyway)
• Ask if you're free to leave
• Know your rights in detail
Long-term Protection
• Support legislation requiring warrants for biometric collection
• Oppose local police cooperation with ICE
• Demand data retention limits for biometrics
• Support organizations fighting surveillance expansion
The Bottom Line
ICE put a biometric surveillance app on every agent's phone. They can scan your face anywhere in America, search you against 270 million records, and store your data for 15 years. No consent. No warrant. No formal rules.
If the app says you're deportable, ICE says that trumps your birth certificate.
The Inspector General warned about "significant risks." Congress raised concerns about "indiscriminate" use on Americans. DHS deployed the app anyway.
This isn't border security. It's domestic biometric surveillance with no oversight, no rules, and no way to opt out.
Welcome to Mobile Fortify.
References
- Biometric Update - New ICE mobile app pushes biometric policing onto American streets (June 2025)
- ID Tech Wire - ICE Pilots Mobile Fortify App (2025)
- Reason - ICE's no-refusal face-scan app leaves no way to opt out (November 2025)
- Common Dreams - ICE's 'Frightening' Facial Recognition App is Scanning US Citizens (2025)
- Biometric Update - ICE's use of CBP biometric surveillance app built on paper thin oversight (December 2025)
- Senator Markey - Letter to ICE on Mobile Facial Recognition Technology (September 2025)