U.S. Border Patrol Targets Foreign OnlyFans Creators

Earlier this year, it was reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been targeting suspected illegal immigrants through mass surveillance. Flock surveillance cameras, AI software designed to recognize the faces of ICE’s targets, and Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) have all been confirmed as methods used by the government organization to track and eventually detain suspected illegal migrants. 

Now, according to one escort and OnlyFans model, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have stepped up their technologies as well as part of their efforts to mitigate illegal immigration.

Gigi Lenoir is a French OnlyFans creator and escort based in Scottsdale, Arizona. As recently as last July, Lenoir posted on X (formerly Twitter) about a scary situation her friend and fellow adult worker endured when attempting to re-enter the United States.

“Omg”, begins Lenoir’s post, “one of my friends was detained at the border and DENIED entry [in]to the USA for 5 years. She used to be face out and they basically had her whole website printed out and interrogated her. Ladies that are face out, be careful. Facial recognition is out of control”. 

Being “face out” refers to adult workers who show their face on their websites, OnlyFans pages and/or content they post. 

Facial recognition software has become increasingly common in what some experts are calling “the surveillance age”. If you’ve gone through airport security recently, you’ve likely had your face scanned by the same or similar technology used elsewhere in the country. 

Lenoir’s friend being banned from the United States for five years is harsh, and it highlights the U.S.’s vague “morality clauses” that have tripped up countless OnlyFans creators at their day jobs and even their chosen financial institutions. According to immigration law, border patrol officials are allowed to prohibit entry into the U.S. under a very loose and flexible idea that the individual in question is engaging in activity deemed “immoral”. Most of this is left up to the agent’s judgement, but given the current administration’s emphasis on immigration, agents are finding any excuse to turn away as many people as possible.

One American citizen, a sex worker - who happened to hold dual citizenship - was detained at the border and interrogated. Her belongings were searched, and the agent interrogating her left no stone unturned, but refused to identify what agency he worked with. She surmises she had been flagged by a computer program as a sex worker. 

In a statement, CBP says they’re using technology to “support lawful border security operations, verify traveler identity and facilitate legitimate travel consistent with applicable law and policy. Any inspection or enforcement action at the border is based on the totality of the circumstances and conducted consistent with CBP authorities, privacy requirements, and civil rights and civil liberties protections.” The statement goes on to say that any person who has “engaged in prostitution within 10 years of the date of application for admission, may appear to be inadmissible to the United States.” 

Crucially, this statement ignores the double standard that currently exists for adult creators trying to enter this country. Many O-1B “extraordinary talent” visas are going to influencers and extremely popular creators on OnlyFans. Most immigration lawyers have a clientele almost entirely made up of these two groups. So, CBP has been zeroing in on creators and sex workers with little to no following. Well-known individuals are let in, while obscure creators are enduring the scrutiny of hourslong interrogations and sometimes denied entry altogether.

This would lead some to believe that immigration agents are also going after sex trafficking and illegal prostitution, but that’s far from true. The current administration is actually reassigning officers working sex trafficking cases to more immigration-focused business.

The reality is, “Big Brother” has never been bigger. 

Regardless of whether CBP confirms their use of facial recognition software or not, it’s clear that whatever tech the government is using is far more advanced than they’re letting on. And this is worrisome to creators, including the woman who shared her border ordeal. She says these agencies even track adult workers who obscure their face. “The government and its tools are a different game. The tools measure faces’ proportions, even with blur. And most girls have nowhere near a strong enough blur to offer any real protection.” Not only do adult creators have to protect themselves from stalkers, they now have to protect themselves from their own government too.