Overview
- The DHS Privacy Threshold Analysis says individuals are not allowed to refuse scans and confirms retention of photos, including those of U.S. citizens, for 15 years.
- Mobile Fortify queries CBP and other databases, including the Traveler Verification Service and a 200 million–image repository, and can capture fingerprints and encounter location.
- The app is designed to check subjects against a “Fortify the Border” hotlist; even without a match, newly taken photos and prints are still saved, the document says.
- CBP confirmed Mobile Fortify remains in use while DHS declined to detail methods, as social‑media videos show ICE and CBP agents performing on‑street face scans in cities like Chicago.
- Lawmakers and advocates escalated oversight, with senators citing NIST findings on accuracy risks and House Homeland Security ranking member Bennie Thompson warning ICE may prioritize app matches over documents like birth certificates.