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Bennie Thompson

U.S. representative from Mississippi; ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee

2 records

Portrait source: Brendan O'Hara, House Creative Services, Public domain

Records

“ICE’s use of Mobile Fortify to determine a person’s legal status is an outrageous affront to the civil rights and civil liberties of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike. DHS should not be conducting surveillance by experimenting with Americans’ faces and fingerprints in the field—especially with unproven and biased technology. It is time to put an end to its widespread use. We can secure the Homeland and respect the rights and privacy of Americans at the same time.”

Bennie Thompson

U.S. representative from Mississippi; ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee

In a January 2026 release announcing legislation to restrict DHS mobile biometric surveillance, Bennie Thompson said ICE's use of the Mobile Fortify app to determine a person's legal status is “an outrageous affront to the civil rights and civil liberties of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike,” that DHS should not be experimenting with Americans' faces and fingerprints in the field with unproven and biased technology, and that it is time to end the app's widespread use.

Ranking Member, House Committee on Homeland SecurityJanuary 15, 2026Official legislation release

SourceArchived
Context and checks

Surrounding words

“When ICE claims that an image its snaps and runs through an unproven app can be enough evidence to detain people for possible deportation, no one is safe,” said Ranking Member Thompson. “ICE’s use of Mobile Fortify to determine a person’s legal status is an outrageous affront to the civil rights and civil liberties of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike. DHS should not be conducting surveillance by experimenting with Americans’ faces and fingerprints in the field—especially with unproven and biased technology. It is time to put an end to its widespread use. We can secure the Homeland and respect the rights and privacy of Americans at the same time.” The Realigning Mobile Phone Biometrics for American Privacy Protection Act will: - Require DHS establish Department-wide standards and guidelines to better protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

What this quote does not say

  • The quoted passage never uses the words 'AI' or 'artificial intelligence', and neither does the release; its relevance to this bank rests on Mobile Fortify being a facial-image and fingerprint identification app, which the release describes in its third paragraph.
  • 'Biased' is Thompson's own word about the technology; the release does not attribute the bias to a model, training data, or algorithm, so the risk label should not be read as a technical claim.

How this was checked

  • Quote matched character-for-character against the captured page.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check

“This Task Force will enhance the safe and secure design, development, adoption, and deployment of AI across critical sectors by bringing together diverse expertise within CISA. As AI continues to evolve and integrate into our daily lives, this measure highlights our commitment to proactive risk mitigation and preparedness.

Exact quote, beginning

Bennie Thompson

U.S. representative from Mississippi; ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee

In a May 2024 release announcing the CISA Securing AI Task Force Act, Bennie Thompson said — in a statement issued jointly with Rep. Troy Carter — that the task force would enhance the safe and secure design, development, adoption and deployment of AI across critical sectors by bringing together expertise within CISA.

Ranking Member, House Committee on Homeland SecurityMay 14, 2024Official legislation release

SourceArchived
Context and checks

Surrounding words

“I’m proud to introduce this bill, a critical step towards managing the impact of AI on our cybersecurity landscape,” said Representatives Carter and Thompson. “This Task Force will enhance the safe and secure design, development, adoption, and deployment of AI across critical sectors by bringing together diverse expertise within CISA. As AI continues to evolve and integrate into our daily lives, this measure highlights our commitment to proactive risk mitigation and preparedness. The CISA Securing AI Task Force Act will strengthen America's cybersecurity framework, safeguarding against emerging threats and ensuring the responsible advancement of AI technologies.” By establishing this task force and implementing reporting requirements, this legislation will ensure effective coordination and oversight in addressing the evolving challenges posed by AI.

What this quote does not say

  • This is a bill-introduction press quote about a coordination task force, not a statement about AI's severity; the risk framing is cybersecurity and deployment safety.

How this was checked

  • Quote matched character-for-character against the captured page.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source · an automatic character-by-character check