DHS facial recognition program proposed to collect face scans of migrant children
MIT Technology Review reported that the US Department of Homeland Security planned to collect facial recognition data from migrant children under age 14, including infants, to improve age-progression facial recognition algorithms. DHS disputed the report after publication, stating it does not collect facial images from minors under 14 and has no plans to do so.
What happened
According to MIT Technology Review reporting from June 2024, John Boyd, assistant director of DHS's Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), described a program to collect and analyze facial captures of migrant children entering the US-Mexico border, including children under age 14 and "down to the infant."
Boyd explained the program aimed to improve facial recognition technology's ability to recognize individuals as they age, using the example of identifying a child picked up at the border at age four if encountered again at age six. DHS sub-offices had removed age restrictions on biometric data collection, allowing the program to proceed under research rather than operational authority.
Reported impact
Critics raised concerns about collecting biometric data from migrant children who cannot give informed consent. The proposed dataset could encompass a large portion of the estimated 339,234 children who arrived at the US-Mexico border in 2022.
Index analysis
Facial recognition technology has traditionally not been applied to children due to limited and low-quality training datasets. A dataset of even 1% of migrant children's face prints would substantially exceed existing datasets used for facial aging research.
Governance controls
DHS disputed MIT Technology Review's reporting in a statement after publication, claiming "The DHS does not collect facial images from minors under 14, and has no current plans to do so for either operational or research purposes." Boyd stated his office takes privacy seriously and does not share data with commercial industries.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.