U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement awarded a $25 million sole-source contract to Massachusetts-based BI2 Technologies for 1,570 handheld iris-scanning devices. That is roughly five times the $4.6 million deal ICE signed in September 2025 and nearly eight times the device count. The wireless scanners are due at ICE locations by late June.
The devices connect to BI2's Inmate Identification and Recognition System, which holds more than 5 million booking records — arrest and incarceration data from 47 states — and also supports fingerprint and facial recognition. The contract runs from June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027.
Privacy advocates warn the rollout sharply expands biometric collection on people ICE detains. The procurement did not require the system to clear FedRAMP, the federal cloud-security review, before deployment, and the DHS inspector general is already auditing the agency's biometric data practices.