Homeland Security tested facial biometric capture on pedestrians walking out of the country at the Progreso International Bridge
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate brought industry partners to the Progreso International Bridge in Hidalgo County to demonstrate facial biometric image capture for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Customs and Border Protection asked for the work in October 2025. Six companies were invited to the Maryland Test Facility in early 2026 for basic capability demonstrations. Three solutions were selected for further data collection. Two came from NEC National Security Systems and one was a joint solution from Paravision and AiFi. A replica of the pedestrian exit environment was built at the Maryland Test Facility first. The partners then arrived at Progreso in May. Cameras were mounted on poles at different heights. Testing ran after dark as well as in daylight with external lighting configurations. The partners used artificial intelligence to construct a three dimensional digital environment of the image capture zone. They also used it to observe pedestrian movement and to analyze whether facial images were suitable for matching in the Traveler Verification Service. Signs in English and Spanish told pedestrians that United States citizens could opt out. An opt-out lane was provided. The biometric entry and exit mandate applies to travelers who are not United States citizens. The account published on September 1st, 2026 records what the agencies and the vendors said about the result. It publishes no accuracy figure and no count of images captured. It publishes no retention period and no deployment decision.
How to take part
The directorate publishes the account of the test, names the division that ran it and names the Customs and Border Protection office that asked for it. No comment window, hearing or docket is open on this work. A traveler at the crossing is told by signs in English and Spanish that a United States citizen may opt out, and an opt-out lane is provided.
Where
1 county. In McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.
Timeline
- filed
Month Customs and Border Protection asked the directorate for solutions
- effective
Month the industry partners arrived at the bridge for the operational assessment
- ordered
Date the directorate published its account of the test
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-09-04
Admitted. The directorate's own account of the operational assessment at the Progreso International Bridge stands as published on September 1st, 2026. It names the crossing, the division that ran the work, the office that asked for it and the three vendor solutions that were taken to the bridge. It states no accuracy figure and no deployment decision.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
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).DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
Over 1.1 million pedestrians exit the U.S. to Mexico annually, and it is imperative to keep them safely moving,DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
U.S. citizens were provided an opt-out lane if they chose not to participate in the image collection testing.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
The image capture capabilities of pedestrians walking through the border exit area exceeded expectations in both day and night conditions.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
We were able to demonstrate NEC's SmartID Express and Neoface Express in real-world outdoor conditions and weather, successfully capturing high-quality facial images of thousands of pedestrians a day,DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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,DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
Because ports of entry operate day and night, tests were also conducted after dark using external lighting configurations.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
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.DHS Science and Technology Directorate, Biometrics at the Border, Making Exit Secure and Efficient Primary source, official · dhs.gov
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate brought industry partners to the Progreso International Bridge in Hidalgo County to demonstrate facial biometric image capture for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Customs and Border Protection asked for the work in October 2025. Six companies were invited to the Maryland Test Facility in early 2026 for basic capability demonstrations. Three solutions were selected for further data collection. Two came from NEC National Security Systems and one was a joint solution from Paravision and AiFi. A replica of the pedestrian exit environment was built at the Maryland Test Facility first. The partners then arrived at Progreso in May. Cameras were mounted on poles at different heights. Testing ran after dark as well as in daylight with external lighting configurations. The partners used artificial intelligence to construct a three dimensional digital environment of the image capture zone. They also used it to observe pedestrian movement and to analyze whether facial images were suitable for matching in the Traveler Verification Service. Signs in English and Spanish told pedestrians that United States citizens could opt out. An opt-out lane was provided. The biometric entry and exit mandate applies to travelers who are not United States citizens. The account published on September 1st, 2026 records what the agencies and the vendors said about the result. It publishes no accuracy figure and no count of images captured. It publishes no retention period and no deployment decision.
Who decides it?
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The directorate publishes the account of the test, names the division that ran it and names the Customs and Border Protection office that asked for it. No comment window, hearing or docket is open on this work. A traveler at the crossing is told by signs in English and Spanish that a United States citizen may opt out, and an opt-out lane is provided. No dated public window is on the record. The deciding body is named and reachable.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Hidalgo County in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX area.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was ordered on September 1st.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is October 1st, 2025.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under surveillance and policing.
What sources back it?
One source backs it. It is primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
No. It sits outside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on September 4th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, Homeland Security tested facial biometric capture on pedestrians walking out of the country at the Progreso International Bridge. Tracked since October 1st, 2025. Last verified September 4th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0120/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0120.
Beat
Filed under Surveillance and policing, with every other decision on that beat.