As Boyd explained at the June conference, the central question for OBIM is: “If we took someone from Panama at the southern border when they were, say, 4 years old, and took them back when they were 6 years old, would we be able to recognize them?”
Facial recognition technology (FRT) has not traditionally been applied to children because training data sets of real children’s faces are limited and consist of low-quality images taken from the Internet or small sample sizes with little diversity. These limitations reflect the significant sensitivity to privacy and consent in the case of minors.
In fact, the new DHS plan could effectively address this problem. According to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), 339,234 children arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, the last year for which data are available. Of these children, 150,000 were unaccompanied—the highest annual figure on record. If even 1% of these children were enrolled in OBIM’s Craniofacial Structure Progression Program, the resulting dataset would dwarf any existing dataset of real child faces used in aging research.
It’s unclear to what extent this plan has already been implemented, Boyd said. MIT Technology Review As far as he knows, the agency has not yet begun collecting data under the program, but he added that as a “senior executive,” he would “need to meet with (his) staff to confirm.” He could only confirm that his office is “funding it.” Boyd declined to provide additional information despite repeated requests.
Boyd said OBIM’s plan to collect facial images of children under 14 is made possible by a recent “rulemaking” by “some DHS components” or sub-offices that removes age restrictions on biometric data collection. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment before publication. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not respond to multiple requests for comment, OBIM noted. MIT Technology Review Back to DHS’s main public relations office.
DHS had not previously commented on the program, but sent an emailed statement after publication: “The Department of Homeland Security uses a variety of technologies to perform its mission, including some biometric capabilities. DHS ensures that all technologies, regardless of type, operate within established authorities and the law. We are committed to protecting the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of all individuals who may be subject to the technologies we use to keep our Nation safe and secure.”
Boyd spoke publicly about the plan in June at the Federal Identity Forum and Exposition, an annual identity management conference for federal employees and contractors. But close observers of DHS we spoke with—including former officials, representatives of two influential lawmakers who have spoken out against the federal government’s use of surveillance technology, and an immigrant-rights organization that closely tracks policies affecting immigrants—were unaware of the new policy allowing the collection of biometric data from children under 14.
That doesn’t mean everyone is surprised. “That’s how they track them,” said a former CBP official who visited several migrant processing centers along the U.S.-Mexico border and spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely. He said “every center” he visited “had biometric identification, and everyone went through it,” but he didn’t know of any specific policies mandating the practice. “I don’t recall them separating kids,” he added.
