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DHS earmarks millions for ‘smart glasses’ for immigration agents

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by Jeff Arnold and Ali Bradley - 04/23/26 10:25 PM ET

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by Jeff Arnold and Ali Bradley - 04/23/26 10:25 PM ET

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(NewsNation) — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allocate $7.5 million next year to using emerging biometric technology to develop “smart glasses” designed to assist federal immigration agents and officers in identifying migrants who are in the United States illegally in real time, NewsNation has confirmed.

The project is part of President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, which earmarks millions toward developing what the White House considers critical technologies, analytic tools and data systems that strengthen DHS’s ability to “encounter, transport, detain and remove migrants who are in the United States illegally.”

The project is listed under the Research, Development and Innovation portion of the budget and calls for operational prototypes of smart glasses for agent use in the first quarter of 2027. Documents reviewed by NewsNation this week indicate that once in use, the smart glasses will equip federal immigration agents “with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field.”

“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,” the budget plan outlines under a section for budgetary justification.

A DHS spokesperson told NewsNation Wednesday that at this time, no federal funds have been committed for any form of “smart glasses.”

However, the agency said that the DHS Science and Technology Directorate is “constantly assessing” the needs of ICE and other DHS components to assist federal law enforcement officers working in the field. Ongoing conversations are held with multiple employees, including attorneys, to ensure that any technology used by Homeland Security officials is “within the full scope of the law.”

How do smart glasses work?

Meta, the Silicon Valley tech giant, partnered with Ray-Ban and Oakley to release its first smart glasses offering in 2025. The glasses are equipped with artificial intelligence and video-capturing technology designed to allow users to “stay present” and accomplish everyday tasks.

The New York Times reported earlier this year that Meta plans to soon add a facial recognition system to the glasses, five years after the company scrapped similar plans over concerns that it could violate the privacy and legal rights of others.

It is unknown which technology manufacturer DHS could contract with to create the smart glasses prototype or when those initial glasses could be released for use by agents. Meta did not respond to a NewsNation seeking comment.

Jason Owens, the former Customs and Border Protection commander under former President Biden, told NewsNation that although no firm plans are in place, any technology that assists federal immigration agents and officers in identifying who they are encountering is a positive step forward.

Owens cites the need for better technology that provides federal agents with better awareness of who may be around them.

“It could be somebody with a criminal background. It could be somebody just looking for a better way of life. (The agents) don’t know,” he said. “The sooner they can figure that out and make that determination, the better. It’s safer for them. It’s safer for those people.

“(Then) they can get back out and go out and look for the real threats if that (person) is not one. So, I’m always going to be in favor of getting them that information as quickly and accurately as possible so they can do the job to the best of their ability and be safe.”

Emerging technology used to ID people without consent raises concerns

However, the idea of the federal government using emerging technology to vet possible targets of federal immigration agents and officers raises serious red flags for organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Despite DHS’s commitment to ensuring that the agency is operating within the full scope of the law, the development of smart glasses that feed information based on technological identification of certain classifications of people is worrisome to organizations striving to protect the rights of citizens and others who might be the victim of government overreach.

Cody Venzke, an ACLU attorney who works with the organization’s speech, privacy and technology project, told NewsNation Thursday that the use of technology like facial recognition could be just the first step of people’s rights being violat