The House intelligence committee has called for the United States to implement biometric screening for all foreign nationals entering and exiting the country, a measure aimed at enhancing national security and preventing terrorist attacks. The recommendation is detailed in a 66-page report that focuses on fulfilling security recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission.
The report, spearheaded by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), advocates for border control systems similar to those used in Europe's Schengen Area. These systems would collect biometric data, such as facial scans, from foreign travelers at all points of entry and exit. The goal is to create a comprehensive system for tracking the presence, duration, and departure of non-citizens within the U.S.
"Technological advancements make collecting biometric data at points of entry relatively quick and easy," the report states. "As much as practically possible, U.S. borders should be secured to ensure foreign nationals seeking land exits to pass through land points of entry so CBP can collect biometrics and build profiles."
Security Gaps at Borders and Airports
The committee specifically highlighted vulnerabilities at land borders with Canada and Mexico, where scanning the faces of individuals entering the U.S. is not consistently enforced. Additionally, the report noted that airports currently do not scan the faces of departing passengers, complicating efforts to verify who has left the country.
The 9/11 Commission's 2004 report had previously called for the prompt completion of a biometric entry-exit screening system. The commission found that at least two of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks used manipulated passports, a vulnerability that biometric data like fingerprints and iris scans are designed to address, as they are more difficult to alter.
"The current system fails to sufficiently allow for effective identification and removal of foreign terrorist or intelligence operatives," Stefanik and Gottheimer wrote in the report. "In the 21st century, the lack of a fully automated biometric entry/exit system impedes efforts to address this issue."
Progress and Challenges
The new report chronicles the slow progress in establishing such a system. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) amended regulations in October 2025 to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to photograph all non-citizens arriving and departing, comprehensive implementation remains incomplete.
CBP has been piloting facial recognition technology for travelers entering the U.S. in personal vehicles. However, the report points out that collecting biometrics from vehicles at land entry points presents ongoing challenges. Historically, implementing exit systems has proven particularly difficult, and a fully automated biometric exit screening system has not yet been established at any point of entry category in the U.S.