The Department of Homeland Security is set to spend millions developing “smart glasses” for federal immigration agents, according to a new report.
The department plans to allocate $7.5 million next year for the creation of “smart glasses” that would help agents identify immigrants who may have entered the U.S. illegally, NewsNation reported.
These “smart glasses” could give agents “real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field,” according to documents reviewed by the outlet. The proposal reportedly calls for the completion of a ready-to-use prototype by the first quarter of next year.
The plans were included in the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, which allocates millions to projects officials said will help strengthen DHS’s capacity to “encounter, transport, detain and remove migrants who are in the United States illegally,” the outlet reports.
A budget document obtained by NewsNation states: “These improvements will directly [allow] efficient and effective immigration enforcement, removal operations and fulfillment of executive orders and administrative priorities while ensuring public safety and operational excellence.”
”No funds have been committed to any form of ‘smart glasses’” as of Friday afternoon, a DHS spokesperson told The Independent.
“The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is constantly assessing the needs of ICE and other DHS components to assist law enforcement officers in the field. These discussions involve privacy offices, chief information officers, and attorneys to ensure that any technology that DHS utilizes is within the full scope of the law,” the spokesperson added.
DHS agents have already been seen wearing personal pairs of smart glasses, a prior investigation by The Independent found.
That investigation revealed DHS agents in at least six states were spotted wearing personal pairs of Meta’s AI glasses since Trump took office, and in some cases had used them to record and photograph members of the public.
NewsNation’s report on the DHS “smart glasses” project comes as Meta works to develop a facial recognition feature for its smart glasses, according to a February report by the New York Times. The new addition would reportedly allow users to identify others, and Meta’s AI assistant could then provide information about them.
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