U.S. citizens may be required to have photo taken at airport

System would use facial-recognition technology

Dallas — Federal officials are considering requiring that all travelers — including American citizens — be photographed as they enter or leave the country as part of an identification system using facial-recognition technology.

The Department of Homeland Security says it expects to publish a proposal in July.

Critics already are raising objections. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said Tuesday he will introduce legislation to block the plan and prohibit American citizens from being forced to provide facial-recognition data. He said a recent data breach at Customs and Border Protection shows that Homeland Security can’t be trusted with the information.

Facial recognition is being tested by several airlines at a handful of U.S. airports. American citizens are allowed to opt out of being photographed, although a 2017 audit by a federal watchdog agency found that few U.S. travelers exercised that right.

Federal law requires Homeland

Security to put into place a system to use biometrics to confirm the identity of international travelers. Government officials wish to expand the use of biometrics to identify potential terrorists.

“Travelers, including U.S. citizens, should not have to submit to invasive biometric scans simply as a condition of exercising their constitutional right to travel,” Jay Stanley, a policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

Facial recognition is being tested by several airlines at a handful of U.S. airports. American citizens currently are allowed to opt out of being photographed