- DHS last summer tested an integrated biometric entry-exit system in a live setting
- Contractors used emerging technologies like AI to create a 3D digital environment of a capture zone
- Learn about new biometric procurement opportunities at the 2026 Homeland Security Summit!
Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit system at U.S. border crossings is a top national security priority. The Department of Homeland Security in the last year took a significant step toward this goal when it tested facial biometric capabilities to capture essential data from pedestrians as they exited the country.
DHS last summer invited industry partners to the Progreso International Bridge border crossing in southern Texas to demonstrate facial biometric capability for Customs and Border Protection. Contractors leveraged advanced technologies including AI to perform tasks such as creating a 3D digital environment of the image capture zone. Emerging technologies also observed pedestrian movement and analyzed facial images to determine whether they would qualify for biometric matching in CBP’s Traveler Verification Service.
DHS has dedicated significant financing for this integrated biometric entry-exit system to match its prioritization as a national security imperative. Below, dig into five critical insights for GovCons on biometrics at the border and learn how the capability promises to revolutionize how the nation secures its borders.
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Why Is Biometrics at the Border Moving Fast?
1. Major Federal Investment
Developing a biometric system to enable efficient and accurate processing of both U.S. citizens and foreigners at the border is a major priority of the federal government with the investment to match. DHS on Sept. 10 kicked off a multiple award IDIQ worth as much as $441 million seeking vendors for fingerprint, facial, iris, palmprint and multimodal biometric capture devices, according to Biometric Update.
DHS anticipates making a minimum of three awards in each of the technology categories, with no limit on the number of contractors. The solicitation said DHS will select for award the highest technically rated offer with fair and reasonable pricing.
Congress has also provided billions of dollars for biometric efforts. The Secure America Act, signed into law on June 10, includes $3 billion for a CBP account that covers border technology, security and screening that allows spending on biometric entry and exit, Biometric Update reported. This funding could also be used on necessary expenses, including technology deployment, as well as new inspection equipment, such as AI and machine-learning tools, along borders.
2. Extensive Use of CRADAs to De-Risk
DHS leveraged cooperative research and development agreements with six firms to de-risk the technology and gain actionable data while having contractors cover their own costs, according to ID Tech Wire. CRADAs have benefits for both contractors and agencies, including access to federal lab expertise, capabilities and technologies, government access to IP resulting from the effort and reduced costs, time and risk of R&D to achieve the agency’s mission.
Six companies were invited to the Maryland Test Facility in metropolitan Washington earlier in the year for capability demonstrations. Three offerings were selected to advance for operational data collection: two from NEC National Security Systems and a joint capability created by Paravision and AiFi.
Prior to deploying to the border, DHS built and developed a replica of the pedestrian exit environment at the MTF. This allowed contractors to install and evaluate their prototypes in a controlled environment. Firms moved to the Progreso border crossing in May.
Conditions at the MTF were more challenging than in a terminal. Offerings had to deal with a variety of hats, umbrellas, hats and the walking pace of pedestrians, both outdoors and in daylight and darkness. Cameras were installed on a pergola, in its rafters and on support poles and at multiple heights to accommodate travellers of different statures. Night tests used external lights with multiple camera alignments.
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- Troy Edgar, DHS deputy secretary
- Bobby Thompson, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency acting associate director for threat hunting
- Sean Curran, U.S. Secret Service director
- Paul Courtney, DHS chief procurement officer (pending confirmation)
Secure your seat today for this must-attend GovCon forum!
3. Rule Finalization Kicks Starts Border Biometric Data Effort
The December finalization of a DHS rule accelerated efforts to collect biometric data at borders. This allowed the department to require all foreigners to be photographed when entering or exiting the U.S. while also potentially requiring non-exempt foreigners to provide other biometrics.
DHS has faced a variety of operational and logistical hurdles in developing and deploying a biometric exit capability. This is mostly because U.S. ports usually do not have secure and designated exit areas for recording travelers’ departures, performing outbound inspections or comparing biometric information against arrival data.
CBP estimated in October that a biometric entry and exit system could be fully implemented at all commercial airports and sea ports for both entry and exit within the next three to five years.
4. Pivot to Real-Time Facial Recognition in Motor Vehicles
DHS’ doesn’t want biometrics for border crossings limited to pedestrians. The agency seeks to also use facial recognition on anyone entering the country by car, Gizmodo reported.
CPB in April 2025 solicited information from industry for technology to capture high-quality facial imagery of people inside cars at inbound land ports of entry. These would be leveraged for real-time comparisons with the Traveler Verification System. This is a legacy facial recognition system that DHS uses at various points of entry, such as pedestrian border crossings and airports.
CPB already collects data at border crossings, such as a license plate, scene photo and biographical information. CBP would use this new technology to create a multi-layered system where vehicles would begin by entering what is known as the pre-primary zone. Here, live encounter images would be compared to any in the government’s possession.
Then, vehicles would progress into the primary zone where CBP’s new technology would take and analyze photos of anyone who wasn’t already “biometrically confirmed” in the PPZ. CBP is also receptive to officer-actuated systems as long as they provide real-time feedback.
Officer-actuated systems must also be able to discern for non-human passengers, like pets or animal graphics on a shirt, and take usable images of people in less than perfect circumstances. This includes not looking at a camera or wearing hats or sunglasses, among others.
5. Innovative Industry Offerings
Contractors developed cutting-edge offerings for their land border biometric offerings. Paravision and AiFi’s capability, called Contactless Corridor, combines Paravision’s AI technology with AiFi’s spatial intelligence.
The system brings together facial recognition and 3D motion tracking as a baseline. It has the potential to integrate additional AI functions, including detecting luggage, strollers, headwear or eyewear.
Paravision and AiFi’s system also provides security staff with a live dashboard showing corridor activity, identity status and the location of individuals. Role-based identities, such as staff, travelers or those on a watchlist, are matched by a Paravision search capability, which may serve one or multiple corridors from a centralized system.
