A Knock on the Window and a Glimpse of America's Surveillance Future

[Nevilledog]

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/mobile-fortify-face-scan-dhs-kristi-noem-database-technology/


When agents came to his workplace armed with guns, gas canisters, and artificial intelligence, Abdikafi Abdurahman Abdullahi, known as Kafi, fought back with quick wit and street smarts. The Somali American engineer-turned-Uber driver is one of the few people willing to speak publicly about being subjected to the Department of Homeland Security’s new facial recognition tool, Mobile Fortify, offering a preview of what routine facial recognition could look like on American streets.

Abdullahi was waiting for a fare in a Minneapolis airport rideshare lot January 7, just hours after Renée Good was shot and killed by federal agents elsewhere in the city. As he watched a video of her death on his phone, there was a knock on his car door. Outside stood roughly a dozen ICE agents, demanding proof of his citizenship.

“I was like, oh, if they killed that young woman and she’s white, then they’re sending a message out, which is it’s game on for everybody,” Abdullahi said.

Abdullahi, who is Black and Muslim, refused to show his ID, arguing that he was being racially profiled. Instead, he began filming, and his unflappable, mischievous comebacks transformed his video into a viral sensation.

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