ICE Scans Your Face Against 200 Million Photos. Congress Wants to Stop It

Close-up of a smartphone camera lens on a dark background

TL;DR: ICE agents carry smartphones loaded with an app called Mobile Fortify. Point it at someone's face, snap a photo, and it searches 200 million images across DHS databases. The app has been used over 100,000 times since June 2025. US citizens have been detained based on its results, even when they produced birth certificates. A DHS document admits: "ICE does not provide the opportunity for individuals to decline or consent." Rep. Bennie Thompson just introduced a bill to ban the app outside ports of entry and require deletion of US citizens' photos within 12 hours.

How Mobile Fortify Works

Every ICE agent now carries a potential detention tool in their pocket.

Mobile Fortify is a smartphone app that captures facial images or fingerprints using a phone's camera. Within seconds, it compares that face against:

200+ million images in DHS databases
Dozens of federal government databases
State DMV photos (in participating states)
Previous arrest photos
Visa application photos

The app returns a match with a confidence score. If the algorithm says you're in the country illegally, that's enough for ICE to detain you, regardless of what documents you're holding ^[1].

Since its deployment around June 2025, Mobile Fortify has been used more than 100,000 times nationwide ^[2].

US Citizens Caught in the Dragnet

Mobile Fortify doesn't just target undocumented immigrants. It's being used on American citizens.

Chicago: "Just Do a Facial"

Armed ICE agents stopped Hispanic teenagers riding bicycles. A 16-year-old American citizen had only his school ID. An agent told him he could leave if he'd "do a facial." Without consent, an officer photographed him with a phone camera ^[3].

Chicago: "We Just Got to Verify That"

Agents surrounded a driver who declined to show ID. One officer pointed his phone at the man's face without permission. When the driver protested, "I'm an American citizen, so leave me alone," the officer responded: "We just got to verify that" ^[3].

The Numbers

More than 170 US citizens have been detained by immigration agents since January 2025, often held in poor conditions despite producing citizenship documentation ^[3].

The app overrides documents. As Rep. Bennie Thompson warned: "An ICE officer may ignore evidence of American citizenship, including a birth certificate, if the app says the person is an alien" ^[4].

Still in Beta Testing

Mobile Fortify was deployed while still in beta. The app that determines whether you get detained hasn't even finished testing ^[2].

Facial recognition is notoriously unreliable, particularly for people with darker skin tones. The ACLU's Nathan Freed Wessler notes: "Face recognition technology is notoriously unreliable, frequently generating false matches" ^[3].

Studies have consistently shown these systems misidentify Black and Latino individuals at higher rates than white individuals. Now ICE is using an unfinished version to make detention decisions.

The Thompson Bill: A Response

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced legislation to rein in Mobile Fortify ^[4].

The "Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act" would:

Ban Street Use

Prohibit DHS from using Mobile Fortify (or any successor app) outside of official ports of entry

Delete Citizen Data

Require destruction of all photos and fingerprints of US citizens within 12 hours of collection

Purge Historical Data

Mandate deletion of all US citizen biometric data collected before the law takes effect

Stop Sharing

Prohibit DHS from sharing the app with state or local police departments

The bill has significant backing: co-sponsors include the chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus ^[4].

What Lawmakers Are Saying

"When ICE claims that an image it snaps and runs through an unproven app can be enough evidence to detain people for possible deportation, no one is safe."
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) ^[4]

"This latest effort to use facial recognition to further target immigrant families is reckless and dangerous."
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) ^[4]

"Immigration enforcement should not be conducted by an app and DHS should not conduct dragnet operations."
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) ^[4]

"ICE using a mobile biometrics app in ways its developers never intended is a frightening, repugnant attack on Americans' rights."
Rep. Bennie Thompson ^[3]

Part of a Larger System

Mobile Fortify doesn't exist in isolation. It feeds into a larger surveillance ecosystem:

Palantir's ImmigrationOS: A $30 million "all-in-one" targeting platform that integrates driver's license scans, cell phone location records, air travel data, and social media monitoring
Clearview AI: ICE's $9.2 million contract gives agents access to a database of 50+ billion facial images scraped from social media
Cellebrite: An $11 million contract lets ICE extract complete phone data, including encrypted Signal and WhatsApp messages

Mobile Fortify is the street-level entry point. Once you're flagged, the entire surveillance apparatus kicks in.

What You Can Do

Know Your Rights

You have the right to remain silent. You don't have to answer questions about your immigration status or country of birth. Say: "I am exercising my right to remain silent."

Document Everything

If approached by ICE, try to record the interaction if safe. Note badge numbers, vehicle plates, and exactly what was said. Contact the ACLU or local immigration legal services.

Carry Documentation

While Mobile Fortify can override documents, having proof of citizenship creates a record. Carry a passport or birth certificate if you have one.

Support the Bill

Contact your representative and ask them to co-sponsor the Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act. The bill needs Republican support to pass.