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Jayapal backs bill to ban facial recognition in immigration enforcement
The bill would bar immigration agencies from using biometric surveillance tools and require deletion of existing data.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 06, Feb 2026
- 12:48 EST
- 12
Pramila Jayapal / Wikimedia commons
The Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal joined lawmakers on Feb. 5 to introduce legislation that would ban U.S. immigration agencies from using facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies.
The ICE Out of My Face Act, prohibits the use of biometric identification systems by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The measure also requires the deletion of all biometric data already collected, and allows individuals and state attorneys general to seek civil penalties for violations.
Jayapal said the growing use of biometric surveillance by immigration authorities posed serious risks to civil liberties and democratic freedoms, particularly for immigrant communities and people engaged in lawful protest. She warned that Congress must act to curb what she described as an increasingly aggressive surveillance regime.
“We are at an incredibly dangerous moment in this country, where overzealous and overly violent ICE and Border Patrol agents are increasing their use of biometric identification systems,” Jayapal said in a statement.
She said such tools were being used to intimidate U.S. citizens and residents, adding that lawmakers must act “to stop the proliferation of this technology, protect our communities, and protect our democracy.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Bernie Sanders, and is backed by civil liberties organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
The bill comes amid mounting scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security’s expanding use of biometric and surveillance technologies. In recent years, ICE and CBP have increasingly relied on facial recognition systems, biometric databases, and mobile identification tools during immigration enforcement operations, including in cities far from the U.S. border.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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