President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to initiate mass deportations of undocumented residents of the United States has raised concerns about the potential use of technology to enforce this policy. As the new administration begins to take shape, the selection of officials seen as hard-liners on immigration, such as Thomas Homan as “border czar” and Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy, suggests that the approach will be aggressive.
Trump has said he will start mass deportation efforts with criminals, but has also vowed to repeal Temporary Protected Status for individuals. Homan has previously stated that “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder,” and has vowed to “run the biggest deportation force this country has ever seen.”
However, carrying out these pledges is logistically daunting, and artificial intelligence (AI) may play a role in helping to make it happen. AI has become more accessible and widely deployed across many systems and government agencies, and the Trump administration may use it to aid in enforcement.
A recent Department of Homeland Security budget includes $5 million to open an AI Office in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, which will focus on advancing and accelerating the “responsible use” of AI. However, some experts have raised concerns about how AI will be used in the Trump administration.
Petra Molnar, a lawyer and anthropologist specializing in the impacts of migration technologies on people crossing borders, has expressed concern that AI will be used to aid in deportation and surveillance. She believes that the technology will be used to create a “surveillance dragnet not just at the border but inland that could capture communities all over the U.S.”
Reyna Campbell, acting commissioner for Homeland Security for the District of Columbia, has also expressed concerns about the potential use of AI in immigration decision-making, stating that it could “automate immigration-related decision-making, bypassing traditional processes” and potentially reinforcing biases.
Neil Sahota, an AI advisor to the UN AI for Good Initiative, has noted that AI already has a significant presence in managing the U.S. border, and its use will likely expand under the new administration. He has also expressed concern about the potential for AI to aid in deportation and the potential for rights violations and racial profiling.
Laura MacCleery, senior policy director of Unidos U.S., has also expressed concerns about the potential overuse of AI in immigration enforcement, stating that it could “sweep up U.S. citizens” and violate due process rights.
