Feature Article: Biometrics at the Border—Making Exit Secure and Efficient

The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently brought industry partners to the Progreso International Bridge border crossing in Texas to demonstrate facial biometric capabilities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The effort supports S&T's priority to help secure U.S. borders by identifying, testing, and transitioning technologies that strengthen security while facilitating efficient lawful travel. Hear from S&T, CBP, and our partners about this successful real-world test of secure, easy-to-use biometric technologies and how they capture essential data as pedestrians exit the country.

S&T has once again shown that strong technical expertise, trusted partnerships, technological precision, and sound science can operate at full throttle while delivering operational success across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Each of these elements is equally important when supporting agencies like CBP, especially when assessing mission-critical technologies before they are selected for deployment.

"In October 2025, CBP approached S&T with a request for solutions that could securely, efficiently, and accurately confirm the departure of pedestrians exiting the U.S. at border crossings using biometrics," said Arun Vemury, S&T Senior Advisor for Biometrics and Identity. "To meet long-standing legislative requirements and Administration priorities, S&T facilitated the technology demonstration to support CBP in testing cutting-edge technologies to efficiently perform its mission."

CBP turned to S&T and its knowledge of the facial biometrics landscape to quickly assess the current state of the market and identify emerging technologies that could meet CBP's specific needs and high standards for secure border operations.

To support the request, S&T coordinated with federal and industry partners through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). The goal was to provide analysis to support CBP's near-term planning and broader border security objectives. By leveraging the CRADAs, S&T enabled the industry partners to work quickly, cover their own costs, and provide the greatest value for informed governmental decision-making.

In early 2026, S&T invited six companies to the Maryland Test Facility (MdTF) for basic capability demonstrations to determine which solutions should be operationally tested. These demonstrations led CBP and S&T to select three solutions for additional data collection: two from NEC National Security Systems (NSS) and one joint solution from Paravision and AiFi.

Before deployment, S&T built a replica of the pedestrian exit environment at MdTF so vendors could install and assess their prototypes before taking them to the Progreso border crossing. This helped reduce risk by identifying issues in a controlled environment before testing in an active border environment.

When the industry partners arrived at the Progreso International Bridge in May, they began setting up for the operational assessment that would support CBP's planning.

For the testing to be successful, the technologies had to account for human factors such as travelers' walking pace, as well as hats, sunglasses, umbrellas and other items people use or carry. Collecting usable facial images outdoors during the day and at night, at speed and scale, is challenging given the many variables.

The partners leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to perform tasks such as constructing a 3D digital environment of the image capture zone, observing pedestrian movement, and analyzing facial images to determine whether they were suitable for biometric matching in CBP's Traveler Verification Service.

The industry partners installed their products in various configurations. Some cameras were mounted on poles at different heights to account for individuals of different statures.

Because ports of entry operate day and night, tests were also conducted after dark using external lighting configurations. S&T evaluated how lighting affected facial image collection using various camera alignments.

As pedestrians approached the border exits, signs in English and Spanish informed them that U.S. citizens could opt out of biometric exit collection if they did not wish to have their picture taken, since the biometric Entry/Exit mandate applies to non-U.S. citizen travelers.

"It is one thing for a technology to work in a lab like MdTF, but it is significantly more difficult when the tech is deployed operationally at the border. At Progreso, it had to work with limited infrastructure, in a challenging environment, and do it autonomously," said Dr. Cameron Whitelam, director of S&T's Biometric, Identity, and Advanced Computing Division. "And it did just that."

The technologies' use of AI and other autonomous systems enhances border security and efficiency. This enables CBP to allocate officers to higher-value tasks while increasing the number of travelers processed and helping CBP accurately confirm the arrival and departure of foreign visitors to the United States.

"We were extremely impressed with the technology and the vendors that S&T brought down to Progreso on our behalf," said Larry Panetta, Director of CBP's Biometrics Program Office. "The image capture capabilities of pedestrians walking through the border exit area exceeded expectations in both day and night conditions. This technology could prove to be a force multiplier and allow CBP to maximize deployment of resources.

"The fact that this went from concept to operational data collection in just a few months is amazing. It was a pleasure working with S&T and we're looking forward to more collaborations with them in the near future."

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