In the United States, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to develop its own smart glasses to “complement” its facial recognition application. A new technological tool that would enrich an already extensive arsenal of surveillance and control in the field.
In the US, ICE continues its technological, and potentially liberty-limiting, shift. The American immigration and customs service now plans to develop connected glasses that can work with its facial recognition application “Mobile Fortify”. The goal is to allow agents to scan a face in real-time and instantly verify a person’s status through government databases.
This project is part of the wider strategy of the Trump administration regarding mass deportations. The “Mobile Fortify” application is already used on smartphones by ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to identify individuals in the field. Presented at the Border Security Expo 2026, this technology could go even further with “heads-up displays”, allowing agents to keep their hands free.
But these tools raise serious concerns. Several American media outlets have documented their use in public spaces, sometimes without consent, with identification errors to boot. Social media surveillance, biometrics, smart cameras—ICE is increasingly relying on technology to conduct its operations, at the risk of crossing certain legal and ethical boundaries.
A technological surveillance arsenal?
And this is not the first time that connected glasses have appeared on the side of ICE. The media outlet 404 Media had already reported that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were spotted multiple times wearing Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses during immigration operations… despite the theoretical ban on personal recording devices.
When questioned about this phenomenon, a CBP spokesperson clarified that only government-approved devices can record, adding that agents are still allowed to wear personal sunglasses. Several NGOs have also documented the use of the “Mobile Fortify” application by ICE and CBP agents in the streets, sometimes without the option for individuals to refuse, and with identification errors abound.
A few weeks ago, BFM Tech revisited this broader technological empowerment, part of a rapidly expanding surveillance arsenal: biometrics, algorithmic cameras, social network analysis—tools that allow the agency to monitor and control populations, albeit with significant legal and ethical questions.
:quality(80)/outremer%2F2026%2F05%2F11%2F6a0207aec41de774352210.jpg "The pink berries of Reunion Island soon to be used by major perfume houses? Marie")
