The recent tragic murder on the F train in New York City, allegedly committed by a Guatemalan who illegally re-entered the United States after being deported, is a stark reminder of the grave weaknesses of the U.S. immigration system. It has become a thing. This tragedy is not an isolated incident, but rather reflects a systemic failure that endangers public safety and strains national resources.
The time has come for a comprehensive solution that combines advanced technology with rigorous enforcement to address these ongoing shortcomings.
More than 10 million immigrants have entered the United States since 2020, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This includes people on international terrorism watch lists and people with serious criminal records. Border Patrol has encountered more than 60,000 people from countries with known security threats, including 124 Iranians arrested this fall alone, an increase of 150% from a year ago. It becomes.
These alarming numbers highlight the vulnerabilities of the current system and highlight the need for a more sophisticated and comprehensive testing approach.
The next administration must prioritize AI-driven solutions to vetting asylum seekers. The goal should be to efficiently identify people fleeing violence and persecution while deterring individuals who pose a risk to national security.
In this challenging environment, technology must play a critical role in securing borders while maintaining fairness for legitimate asylum seekers. By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics, the United States will be able to transform its approach to border security and immigration, addressing large-scale threats while meeting humanitarian commitments.
AI’s ability to rapidly analyze vast datasets and provide actionable intelligence makes it an ideal solution to the complexities of immigration and national security. The question is no longer whether we should use these technologies, but why they aren’t already in place. The risks are too high to delay.
AI-powered systems provide innovative solutions for immigration screening by processing vast amounts of data from public and secure sources, such as social media activity, travel history, and criminal records. These tools can assess risk profiles and flag potential threats much more quickly and accurately than traditional methods.
Pilot programs have shown that AI can reduce background check processing time from weeks to just 72 hours, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making. By minimizing false positives with AI, authorities can focus resources on real risks while ensuring fairness for legitimate use cases.
These technologies are already in use in areas such as counterterrorism, where algorithms analyze online activity to identify threats, and in industries such as healthcare and finance, where large data sets are used to detect risks and opportunities. It has proven to be successful.
Applied to immigration, AI can process and cross-reference information in real time to identify red flags and connections to criminal networks that human analysts might miss. By quickly identifying potentially dangerous individuals, border authorities can allocate resources more effectively, prevent human error, and ensure the integrity of immigration enforcement.
Deploying AI doesn’t just improve security. It’s a matter of efficiency. By automating the vetting process and focusing resources on high-risk individuals, AI reduces the burden on overloaded systems, ultimately saving taxpayers money and improving outcomes.
Additionally, AI-powered testing systems reduce false positives and streamline the process of clearing individuals without worrying about metrics. These tools operate at high speed and scale, bringing efficiency to overloaded systems while maintaining rigor.
Integrating AI into immigration systems can also help streamline the asylum process. Currently, asylum seekers often face long delays in processing their cases, with some waiting months or even years for a decision. AI has the potential to speed up this process, ensuring those with legitimate claims receive a quick response while quickly identifying those who pose a security threat. This efficiency not only allows for more effective management of resources, but also reduces the burden on immigration officials.
America’s immigration problem requires innovative and forward-thinking solutions. AI-driven systems can restore order to tense processes, protect public safety, and preserve the nation’s heritage as a refuge for those in need. Policymakers need to act now to implement these proven technologies. The cost of inaction is not only financial, but a direct threat to national security and integrity.
Cohen is CEO and co-founder of Realeye.ai, a leader in homeland security solutions.
