The Department of Homeland Security is set to allocate $7.5 million for the development of "smart glasses" intended to assist federal immigration agents in identifying individuals who may have entered the United States illegally, according to a recent report by NewsNation.
Budget Proposal Details
The funding is part of the Trump administration's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, which earmarks millions of dollars for projects aimed at strengthening DHS's capacity to "encounter, transport, detain and remove migrants who are in the United States illegally," the outlet reported. The proposed "smart glasses" would provide agents with "real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field," according to documents reviewed by NewsNation. The plan calls for the completion of a ready-to-use prototype by the first quarter of next year.
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."
DHS Response
However, a DHS spokesperson told The Independent that "no funds have been committed to any form of 'smart glasses'" as of Friday afternoon. The spokesperson added: "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."
Previous Incidents with Smart Glasses
This comes after a prior investigation by The Independent revealed that DHS agents in at least six states had been spotted wearing personal pairs of Meta's AI glasses since President Trump took office, and in some cases used them to record and photograph members of the public. The news of DHS's smart glasses project also coincides with Meta's reported development of a facial recognition feature for its smart glasses, as detailed by the New York Times in February. That feature would allow users to identify others, with Meta's AI assistant providing information about them.
