US to Mandate Biometric and Facial Recognition Checks for All Non-Citizens From December 2025

Washington, D.C., October 2025: The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that starting December 26, 2025, all non-citizens - including Green Card holders - will be required to undergo facial recognition and biometric verification at all entry and exit points. The move, part of the government's effort to curb visa overstays and identity fraud, has sparked debate over privacy, accuracy, and civil rights concerns.

The rule, issued by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will extend biometric data collection - including photographs and facial scans - to nearly all international travellers entering or leaving the US by air, land, or sea.

End of Exemptions

Under the new regulation, the previous exemptions for children under 14 and seniors over 79 will be removed. Every non-citizen will now be required to submit biometric data upon arrival and departure. DHS says the system will help verify identities, detect fraud, and strengthen border management.

CBP already employs facial recognition at most major international airports for entry procedures, but this will mark the first time such checks become mandatory nationwide across all travel modes. The agency expects to fully establish the system at all ports of entry within three to five years.

Background and Implementation

The regulation fulfils a 1996 congressional mandate for an automated entry-exit tracking system - a requirement that remained only partially implemented for decades. The upcoming expansion will integrate images from passports and travel documents with new photos captured at checkpoints to verify each traveller's identity in real time.

According to DHS, the database will enable officials to better track visa overstays, which account for nearly 42% of the 11 million unauthorised immigrants in the US, as per a 2023 Congressional Research Service report.

Civil Liberties Concerns

While the government frames the rule as a national security measure, civil rights advocates warn that it could pave the way for mass surveillance.
A 2024 report by the US Commission on Civil Rights found that facial recognition systems tend to misidentify Black and minority individuals at higher rates.

Cody Venzke of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) cautioned:

"This technology is unreliable, disproportionately harms people of colour, and serves as the foundation for a perpetual surveillance state."

Critics also note that when Congress originally approved the biometric-tracking law in the 1990s, it could not have foreseen the use of today's AI-driven facial recognition technologies.

Balancing Security and Privacy

The initiative aligns with broader immigration enforcement priorities under the current administration, including enhanced monitoring at the US-Mexico border. Supporters argue that biometric verification is essential for modernising border control, while opponents view it as an overreach that could erode privacy rights.