ICE told its staff on Tuesday to stop wearing Meta glasses at work, and the rule covers everyone at the agency rather than only agents in the field. Acting director David Venturella wrote that the devices could "unintentionally capture, record, or transmit sensitive information, potentially compromising privacy and legal protections." A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the New York Times, which obtained the memo, that employees had always been barred from carrying "personally owned body-worn cameras" in the first place.
A CBP agent was spotted recording with his glasses despite the policy, a member of Border Patrol wore a pair to an immigration raid, and sightings have turned up in at least six states. The DHS fiscal 2027 budget funds an operational smart-glasses prototype for biometric identification during immigration enforcement, inside a $7.5 million request that also covers Customs and Border Protection. Budget documents reported by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein would put officers in bespoke glasses with "biometric identification capabilities" by next year. New York already keeps Meta glasses out of its state court buildings, and Meta's own facial recognition work surfaced again in a patent filing this week.