DHS Testing the Use of Eye Scanners in Texas

29 Sep 2010

The Department of Homeland Security has begun testing eye-reading machines at one border crossing. The machines, which scan people’s irises, is being tested in a two- to eight-week trial in McAllen, Texas as part of a Homeland Security assessment of the new technology. The goal of the testing is to see how the scanners work in an actual Customs and Border protection setting.

“This is a preliminary test of how the technology performs,” said Amy Kudwa, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. “We have no specific plans for acquiring or deploying this type of technology at this point.”

The U.S. Department of Defense currently uses similar scanners at military locations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The newer versions of these eye-reading devices, however, are able to identify multiple people at one time from a distance of up to 30 feet.