As debate intensifies in the United States over H.R. 1, otherwise known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Senate Republicans advanced the sweeping reconciliation package with a razor-thin 51–49 vote, with Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis joining Democrats in opposition. While its core structure remains consistent with the version passed by the House, particularly regarding immigration enforcement, the bill reflects an aggressive expansion of federal biometric surveillance infrastructure under the Trump administration’s second term.

Officially styled as a budget reconciliation package, the 940-page bill does much more than allocate dollars; it would codify a vision of the national security state where biometric surveillance, AI, and immigration enforcement converge at unprecedented scale.

Passed out of the House along party lines earlier this year, the Senate version now reflects the Trump administration’s deepening focus on internal surveillance and deportation infrastructure. Although a final vote is pending in the Senate and will need to be passed by the House, what’s already in the legislative text that likely will remain intact is deeply consequential for civil liberties, biometric privacy, and immigration governance.

At its core, H.R.1 dedicates over $175 billion in immigration-related funding for fiscal year 2025 alone, which is by far the largest such allocation in U.S. history and represents a dramatic technology buildout. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would receive nearly $30 billion in funding through 2029, earmarked not only for personnel and deportation operations, but also for digital modernization efforts that lean heavily on AI and biometric surveillance. More than $5.2 billion within ICE’s share is dedicated to infrastructure modernization, including $2.5 billion specifically for artificial intelligence systems, biometric data collection platforms, and digital case tracking.

These systems are not vaguely defined. DHS officials familiar with the bill’s intent say the funds are aimed at expanding ICE’s access to mobile biometric tools, integrating facial recognition into field operations, automating risk scoring for individuals in deportation proceedings, and accelerating case processing through AI-driven platforms.

These developments mirror and dramatically amplify previous pilots conducted under DHS’s Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM), particularly the use of tools like ICE’s Mobile Fortify app, which allows agents to perform facial and fingerprint checks in real time. H.R.1, by design, turns those small-scale pilots into foundational infrastructure.

Biometric provisions also extend to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is slated to receive $6.168 billion for modern surveillance, biometric, and screening technologies. The legislative text outlines the deployment of Autonomous Surveillance Towers (AST) and artificial intelligence for threat detection, language that suggests an operational integration of facial recognition, gait analysis, and predictive behavioral models along the southern border.

Read More