DHS expands biometric surveillance with foreign governments, data flows into U.S. databases
H.R. 8253 — BITMAP Authorization Act · Filed by Michael McCaul (R-TX) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 13, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill establishes BITMAP, a Department of Homeland Security program that collects biometric and biographic data from foreign nationals in partner countries to identify security and terrorism threats before they reach the U.S. border. DHS will train and equip partner countries to collect and share this data, compare it against U.S. terrorism and immigration databases, and incorporate matches into U.S. government systems. The program includes a 6-year sunset, congressional notification requirements, and a requirement to expunge U.S. citizen data unless retained for law enforcement purposes.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is establishing a new biometric data-collection and information-sharing program operated by DHS and ICE in partnership with foreign governments. It is functionally a surveillance and intelligence-sharing authorization, not a traditional appropriations or regulatory bill.
What the text implies
- Data collected from foreign nationals may be retained indefinitely if classified as 'law enforcement or intelligence purposes'—the threshold for retention is not defined, creating potential for mission creep.
- Partner countries' biometric systems and privacy protections vary widely; the bill does not mandate minimum privacy standards for foreign governments collecting data on behalf of the U.S.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
biometric technology vendors and contractors; defense and intelligence contractors providing training and equipment to partner countries