US To Implement New Entry-Exit Rules With Mandatory Biometric Data Collection for Green Card Holders and Foreign Nationals | World News

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new border regulations that will require all non-US citizens, including Green Card holders, to be photographed when entering and exiting the country. The rule, which will take effect on December 26, 2025, is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to tighten immigration controls and strengthen national security.

According to a report by India Today, DHS said all immigrants and non-citizens will now be photographed both upon entry and exit, expanding existing data collection practices that have been in place since 2004. Previously, only certain categories of travelers were required to provide biometric data such as fingerprints and photographs.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will now expand its biometric collection to include land, sea and air ports of entry. CBP officers will collect photographs and other biometric details from nearly all non-citizens, eliminating previous exemptions for travelers under 14 and over 79, according to the Hindustan Times. This means that every foreign national, including long-term residents and Green Card holders, will now be subject to biometric capture when entering or leaving the United States.

Citing Bloomberg, India Today reported that CBP will use data from passports, visa applications and photographs taken by border officers and integrate them with facial comparison technology to verify travelers’ identities. DHS said this system will help combat identity fraud, prevent the use of fraudulent travel documents and track people who have overstayed their visas.

Officials also noted the national security benefits, explaining that the improved entry-exit system would help detect terrorism cases, forged documents and missing biographical data. Implementing a unified biometric verification system would close long-standing gaps in border monitoring, CBP said in a Federal Register filing.

A 2023 Congressional Research Service report cited by Reuters estimates that visa overstays account for about 42% of the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. DHS believes this expansion will help address this problem more effectively.

Also Read: Work-Based US Green Cards At Risk: Will Trump’s New Rules Curb Foreign Workers?

President Donald Trump has implemented a series of tough immigration measures since taking office in January 2025, including ending birthright citizenship and expanding ICE raids to deport people labeled “illegal criminal aliens.” The Hindustan Times reported that his administration has implemented stricter screening of visa applicants and Green Card holders, including social media scrutiny, which has already led to detentions and visa cancellations.

But the new biometric rule has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and privacy advocates. A 2024 report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights warned that facial recognition technology tends to misidentify Black individuals and other minorities more frequently. Bloomberg quoted Cody Venzke, senior policy advisor at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as saying the technology “is unreliable, disproportionately harms people of color, and serves as the basis for a perpetual surveillance state.”

Despite privacy concerns, CBP officials argue that the biometric entry-exit system will significantly increase border security. According to Hindustan Times, the agency expects the system to be fully implemented in all commercial airports and seaports in the next three to five years.