Fact Check: Does ICE plan to purchase eye-scanning tech to ID undocumented immigrants?

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's administration has taken some serious steps when it comes to undocumented immigrants. For the last few months, they have made sure to minimize the number of undocumented immigrants in the country by conducting ICE raids and deporting them.

The Trump administration also took things a bit further by constructing a new migrant detention centre in Florida, called the "Alligator Alcatraz."

More recently, a claim has been circulating online that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicated its intent to purchase artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can scan people's eyes from several feet away to identify immigrants who are in the country illegally. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: ICE plans to acquire eye-scanning tech to ID undocumented immigrants

In August, a rumor circulated online claiming that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to purchase software that can scan eyes from several feet away to identify people in the country illegally. 

An X (formerly Twitter) post on the topic read, "ICE plans to acquire AI technology that can scan and identify people’s irises from 10-15 feet away using a mobile app, comparing the images to databases and social media photos for deportation purposes."

Similarly, a Reddit post also read, "ICE to purchase AI technology that scans people’s eyes from several feet away."

Fact check: The claim is a mix of truth and falsehood

The viral claim is mostly true, as ICE released a notice on August 6, 2025, detailing the agency's plan to purchase biometric, iris-scanning technology that can scan people's eyes to identify people who are in the country illegally.

However, the technology works from up to 10 to 15 inches away. Which means it can scan eyes from a little over a foot away, not "several feet away," fact-checking outlet Snopes reported.

Moreover, the company that made the eye-scanning technology, Bi2 Technologies, did not explicitly state that its tech primarily uses AI modeling, nor did the company return inquiries about its possible use of AI.

So far, experts disagree on whether biometrics are "inherently intertwined" with AI, making it impossible to definitively say whether Bi2 Technologies does use AI, per the fact-checking outlet.

ICE's notice, which outlined the agency's plan to purchase licenses for two programs offered by Bi2 Technologies — the Inmate Identification and Recognition System (I.R.I.S.) and the Mobile Offender Recognition & Information (MORIS), according to SAM.gov, the official site for government contract information.

ICE will use both programs offered by Bi2 Technologies

Both systems would be used by the ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations team, which indicates the agency's plans to use the tech to identify people for arrest, detention, and deportation, according to the initial proposal.

The notice of intent read, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to solicit, negotiate, and award a sole source purchase order to Bi2 Technologies, LLC (Bi2) for licenses for the Inmate Identification and Recognition System (I.R.I.S.™) and the Mobile Offender Recognition & Information (MORIS™) for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)."

"The Government intends to award the sole source in accordance with the procedures of FAR Subpart 13.5, using the statutory authority of 41 USC 1901. The Government conducted extensive market research and determined that Bi2 is the only company that can provide the required services," it added.

The notice further read, "The information provided in this notice is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The anticipated award date for this purchase order is August 2025. The anticipated period of performance for the purchase order will be 12 months from the date of the award."