Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they introduced the ICE Out of Our Faces Act. The bicameral legislation would rein in the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), banning agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from using and deploying FRT and other biometric identification systems.
The new bill—which Merkley and Wyden co-led with Massachusetts’ U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)—follows public reports of the Trump administration’s increasing surveillance tactics by DHS, including ICE agents abusing FRT to take pictures of anyone on the street, obtain their personal information without consent, and use it as a tool of intimidation to punish dissent. The ICE Out of Our Faces Act would fight back by requiring the deletion of all data collected for use in or by biometric identification systems and allowing individuals and state attorneys general to seek civil penalties for violations.
“For years, I’ve been ringing the alarm bells about the dangers of a national surveillance state built on facial recognition technology. Now, we’re seeing Trump’s lawless federal agents deploy this technology on our streets across the nation as he tries to tighten his authoritarian grip,” said Merkley. “Without oversight, this technology is dangerous in the hands of any government, and the Trump Administration is abusing it to trample on privacy, freedom of speech, and civil liberties. All freedom-loving Americans must join us to stand up to this assault on folks’ fundamental rights.”
“ICE and CBP trample on our Constitution when they build databases of regular people in Oregon and nationwide concerned about ICE committing violence in their communities or scanning the faces of people on the street to run through their surveillance systems,” said Wyden. “I’m glad to work with Senators Markey and Merkley to protect Americans against harassment and biometric surveillance by Trump’s handpicked militia.”
The ICE Out of Our Faces Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The bicameral legislation is also endorsed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fight for the Future, American Civil Liberties Union, The Leadership Conference’s Center for Civil Rights and Technology, Free Press Action, Access Now, and Human Rights First.
Merkley has fought to hold ICE and DHS accountable for terrorizing our communities, their gross violations of Americans’ First Amendment rights, and their weaponization of surveillance technologies against peaceful protestors, immigrants, and American citizens. He introduced the ICE and CBP Constitutional Accountability Act—which Wyden co-sponsored—to hold ICE and CBP liable for violating individuals’ constitutional rights. He also partnered with Wyden and other Oregon lawmakers to demand DHS withdraw its agents from Portland following attacks on peaceful protestors.
Full text of the ICE Out of Our Faces Act can be found by clicking here.
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