CBP at 237: How Border Tech Changes Your Entry in 2026
Every immigrant, visa holder, and green card holder passes through CBP when entering the United States — and in 2026, that experience is changing fast. The agency is now using facial recognition and an AI platform at select airports to screen travelers. What does that mean for your rights and your entry?
A Border Agency Built Over Centuries — Now Using AI
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — the agency that checks your documents when you enter the United States — has been around since 1789. Back then, it collected taxes on imported goods. Today, it does much more: it screens travelers, enforces trade laws, protects the food supply, and uses artificial intelligence to speed up entry at airports and cruise ports.
In 2026, CBP is rolling out several new tools that directly affect how immigrants and visitors enter the country. These include Mobile Passport Control (a mobile app that lets eligible travelers submit their passport and customs information before reaching the officer), biometric facial recognition technology, and an AI platform called COMPASS. Together, these tools are meant to reduce wait times and make the entry process faster at select airports and cruise ports. CBP says the changes are especially important this year, as millions of international visitors came to the US for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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What CBP Does That Affects Immigrants Directly
CBP is not just about tourism. Every person entering the US — including green card holders, visa holders, asylum seekers, and people with work permits (called EADs, or Employment Authorization Documents) — goes through CBP at the port of entry. CBP officers have the authority to question you, inspect your documents, and in some cases deny entry even if you have a valid visa or travel document. On a typical day, CBP processes nearly $10 billion in imported goods and collects nearly $620 million in duties and fees — but it also makes decisions that affect real people's immigration status.
CBP was created in its current form in 2003, after the 9/11 Commission recommended combining several separate agencies — customs, border patrol, and agricultural inspection — into one unified body under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Today it includes the U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Field Operations (which runs ports of entry), Air and Marine Operations, and the Office of Trade.
What to Do
- If you are traveling to the US in 2026, check whether your airport offers Mobile Passport Control. Using it may reduce your wait time at the entry checkpoint.
- If you hold a green card, work permit, or any immigration status, carry your original documents — not just photos — every time you travel internationally. CBP officers may ask to see them.
- If a CBP officer questions you at the border, you have the right to remain silent beyond basic identification. Lawyers recommend saying as little as possible and asking to speak with an attorney if you feel your immigration status is at risk.
- If you are an asylum seeker arriving at a port of entry, you can tell the CBP officer that you are afraid to return to your home country. This triggers a process called a credible fear interview — do not leave without saying this if it applies to you.
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At a port of entry, CBP officers have broad authority — broader than most people realize. Even a valid visa or green card does not guarantee entry if an officer has concerns about your admissibility. If you are stopped for secondary inspection, you are not required to answer questions beyond confirming your identity and immigration status, and you have the right to request to speak with an attorney before making any statements that could affect your case. Anyone with a complex immigration history — prior removal orders, visa overstays, or pending applications — should consult an immigration attorney before traveling internationally.