A sweeping new customs regulation has taken effect in the United States, granting border officials unprecedented authority to collect biometric data, including DNA, from foreign travellers. The policy, enacted by the Trump administration, marks a significant shift in border security procedures and has sparked concerns over privacy and civil liberties.
What the new law entails
Effective from 26 December 2025, the law implements a new biometric data collection system at US ports of entry and exit. According to reports from Reuters, all non-citizens entering or leaving the country can now be subjected to mandatory facial recognition scans. The captured images will be cross-referenced with existing government records and stored for up to 75 years.
In more extreme cases, the Department of Homeland Security is empowered to request additional biometric identifiers such as fingerprints or DNA samples from individuals who are not US citizens. This expansion of authority removes previous age-based protections, meaning children under 14 and adults over 79 are no longer exempt from these data collections.
Broader context and concerns
This development is part of a series of recent changes to the American travel system under President Donald Trump, aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and visa overstays. Other measures include an increase in the cost of the ESTA travel authorisation and an expanded travel ban affecting five new countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—from 1 January.
Civil rights and watchdog groups have expressed significant alarm. Their concerns are partly rooted in a 2024 report by the US Commission on Civil Rights, which found that facial recognition technology has higher error rates for black people and ethnic minorities, leading to potential misidentification. Critics have labelled the policy "unnecessary and dystopian," with some on social media platform X warning it could deter international tourism.
Expanded vetting and traveller information
The scope of data that can be requested from travellers is extensive. Beyond biometrics, US officials may now review five years of social media history, telephone numbers, email addresses, and even details about family members for those visiting the United States.
A separate proposal from US Customs and Border Protection seeks to make social media handles a mandatory field for ESTA applications. This is justified under Executive Order 14161, which focuses on preventing terrorist attacks and national security threats. The information travellers could be required to provide includes:
- Business and personal telephone numbers used in the last five years.
- Email addresses used in the last decade.
- IP addresses and metadata from submitted photos.
- Names, dates of birth, and residency details of immediate family members.
- Full biometric data: facial, fingerprint, DNA, and iris scans.
The US government states that biometrics will "generally" not be taken unless an individual is in removal proceedings with a case pending before immigration review. However, the policy fundamentally broadens the legal framework for data collection at the border, intensifying the screening process for millions of international visitors.
