US Firm Securityport to Take Control of Bangladesh’s Border Security Framework - BDDiGEST
The procedure of handing over the overall management of Bangladesh’s immigration, passenger screening, biometric database, cargo management and border security infrastructure to a US private company is reportedly in its final stages. The initiative has already…
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The procedure of handing over the overall management of Bangladesh’s immigration, passenger screening, biometric database, cargo management and border security infrastructure to a US private company is reportedly in its final stages. The initiative has already sparked widespread debate locally’s political and security circles.
Virginia-based Securityport LLC is set to gain extensive oversight of the country’s civil aviation security operations, starting with Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The agreement will cover key areas such as advanced passenger information processing, multi-dimensional biometric identification, passenger risk assessment, cargo tracking, and information management.
Behind the technical deal lies a sensitive political connection. According to high-level government sources, Stallion Capital Limited, a company run by Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed, son of current Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, is set to become a potential local business partner for Securityport.
Securityport is said to have been actively trying to gain access to Bangladesh’s sovereign border database since 2024. The effort was sparked by initiatives to modernize the country’s aging aviation infrastructure during the former interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Although not directly affiliated with the US government, Securityport, listed as a strategic technology partner of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), claims to have experience in establishing security infrastructure for sovereign states in various countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
But the decision and process to hand over the country’s sensitive intelligence, cargo and passenger data to a foreign private company has sparked a strong backlash in diplomatic, security and legal circles. Analysts fear that handing over border control and biometric databases to foreign hands could pose a direct threat to national sovereignty. They believe that giving a foreign company unrestricted access to real-time passenger data, iris and fingerprints, risk analysis and international cargo processing could expose sensitive state assets to external surveillance.
The timing of the agreement coincides with a rapid realignment of Bangladesh’s international security and diplomatic policies. The country is moving towards a series of high-stakes international agreements, including a controversial nuclear energy deal and a major bilateral security pact finalized on September 26. According to Dhaka-based security analysts, the Securityport system is a central part of this broader geopolitical shift, embedded in the migration framework.
An official involved in aviation security oversight, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that handing over biometric databases, passenger risk models and direct monitoring of international air traffic to a private foreign company weakens the state’s intelligence and security structure. According to him, the involvement of a close relative of the interior minister has now turned the issue into a serious crisis of governance and national security, rather than a mere debate on technological modernization.
As Home Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed has direct administrative authority over the Bangladesh Police, the Immigration and Passport Department, and the Special Branch Intelligence Division—these agencies’ data and daily operations will now be managed through Securityport’s hardware and software platform. Legal experts say the attempt to secure such a lucrative, sovereign security deal through a close relative of the minister in charge of internal security is an unprecedented example of a conflict of interest.
So far, neither the Ministry of Interior nor Securityport LLC has provided an official response regarding the selection of the local partner or the commercial terms of the agreement.
Securityport’s technology package goes beyond traditional passport scanning. It includes automated border control gates, kiosks, facial recognition, and a variety of identity verification technologies. In addition, the company’s intelligent data management system is capable of connecting passenger information with the authorities and third-party databases to perform risk assessments and secondary screening.
As the process of approving the final outline of the agreement progresses, opposition parties and various civil society organizations have demanded the immediate suspension of the agreement. They have demanded full disclosure of the terms of the agreement, an independent audit of the biometric data exchange process, and a thorough investigation into political involvement in facilitating access to the Securityport.
It is worth noting that a project proposed by the Bangladesh Police Special Branch under the Ministry of Home Affairs for the third terminal of Shahjalal Main international airport has received conditional approval, with an estimated cost of about Tk 494.9 million. The project is due to include servers, central storage, network infrastructure, firewalls, e-passport readers and multi-dimensional biometric identification systems. According to government procurement documents, the Special Branch under the Ministry of Home Affairs recently invited tenders for e-passport readers, immigration desks and artificial intelligence-enabled computers, which were published last August.