Project Saltbox: “Federal records show the agency is purchasing expanded access to a private biometric database built largely through sheriff partnerships. The Department of Homeland Security plans to deploy 1,570 iris scanning devices to Immigration and Customs Enforcement locations across the country within 30 days of finalizing a no-bid contract with the Massachusetts technology company Bi2 Technologies, according to a Statement of Objectives posted to SAM.gov on May 8.

• ICE Bi2 Statement of Objectives – 278KB ∙ PDF file Inmate Recognition and Identification System (IRIS) and Mobile Offender Recognition & Identification System (MORIS) – Bi2 Technologies, LLC May 2026.

The proposed sole-source contract would give ICE agents the ability to scan a person’s iris using a smartphone and compare the result against a database containing more than five million criminal booking records. According to the procurement document, the system is designed to return matches in real time during field operations. The May procurement appears to expand an existing ICE-Bi2 capability rather than create it from scratch. Federal spending records show DHS awarded Bi2 a $4.6 million contract in September 2025 for iris biometric recognition technology and access to a biometric information system. That earlier award required Bi2 to provide 200 biometric devices. The new Statement of Objectives calls for 1,570 devices, suggesting ICE is seeking to scale up the system’s physical deployment while maintaining nationwide access to Bi2’s IRIS and MORIS tools…”