The State of Biometric Technology Across U.S. Agencies

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress this July, secured $21 billion for U.S. border security, allocating funds for border modernization, biometrics, and artificial intelligence. OBBBA provides $673 million for biometric entry-exit systems at all ports of entry, $2.77 billion for AI-powered Autonomous Surveillance Towers (ASTs), and $5.2 billion for modernizing ICE, including real-time facial and fingerprint checks via mobile apps.

With agencies such as CBP and ICE receiving additional funding for biometrics, IDGA set out to at the “Biometric for Government & Law Enforcement” survey to our network of biometrics professionals in order to understand the existing biometrics gaps and needs of experts in the field.

The results of this mini survey come from 27 respondents representing state and local law enforcement agencies, government employees, industry professionals, federal law enforcement, consultants, educators, contractors, and retired officials.

To hear directly from federal law enforcement officials on topics such as biometrics and border security, register for IDGA’s upcoming Homeland Security Week taking place this March 17-18 at the MGM National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland. The two-day summit gather stakeholders from across government and industry to explore next-generation solutions in AI, cloud and cybersecurity, biometrics, counter-UAS capabilities, border management, infrastructure resilience, and more.