The recent tragic murder on New York City’s F train, allegedly committed by a Guatemalan national who reentered the U.S. illegally after deportation, serves as a stark reminder of the critical vulnerabilities in America’s immigration system. This tragedy is not an isolated incident but rather a reflection of systemic failures that endanger public safety and strain national resources. It is time for a comprehensive solution — one that combines advanced technology with rigorous enforcement to address these ongoing shortcomings. Since 2020, more than 10 million migrants have crossed into the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security. Among them are individuals flagged on international terrorist watchlists and those with serious criminal records. The Border Patrol has encountered more than 60,000 individuals from nations with known security threats, including 124 Iranian nationals apprehended this fall alone — a 150% increase from the previous year. These alarming numbers underscore the vulnerabilities in the current system and highlight the need for a more sophisticated and comprehensive approach to vetting. The next administration must prioritize an AI-driven solution to asylum-seeker vetting. The goal should be to efficiently identify those fleeing violence and persecution while intercepting individuals who pose a risk to national security. In this challenging environment, technology must play a key role in securing our borders while maintaining fairness for legitimate asylum seekers. By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale data analytics, the U.S. can transform its approach to border security and immigration, addressing threats at scale while upholding its humanitarian commitments. AI’s capacity to rapidly analyze vast datasets and provide actionable intelligence makes it an ideal solution for the complexities of migration and national security. The question is no longer whether these technologies should be used, but why they haven’t been deployed yet. The stakes are too high for delay. AI-powered systems offer a transformative solution for immigration vetting by processing vast amounts of data from public and secure sources, including social media activity, travel histories, and criminal records. These tools can assess risk profiles and flag potential threats far more quickly and accurately than traditional methods. Pilot programs have shown that AI can reduce background check processing times from weeks to just 72 hours, enabling faster, more precise decisions. By minimizing false positives, AI allows authorities to focus their resources on genuine risks while ensuring fairness for legitimate use cases. These technologies have already proven successful in sectors like counter-terrorism, where algorithms analyze online activity to identify threats, and in industries like health care and finance, where massive datasets are used to detect risks and opportunities. Applied to immigration, AI can process and cross-reference information in real-time, identifying red flags or connections to criminal networks that human analysts might miss. The ability to identify potentially dangerous individuals swiftly allows border agencies to allocate resources more effectively, preventing human errors and ensuring the integrity of the immigration process. Implementing AI isn’t just about improving security; it’s about efficiency. By automating the vetting process and focusing resources on high-risk individuals, AI alleviates the burden on an overwhelmed system, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars and improving outcomes. Moreover, AI-driven vetting systems help reduce false positives, streamlining the clearance process for individuals without concerning indicators. These tools operate at speed and scale, bringing efficiency to an overburdened system while maintaining rigor. The integration of AI into the immigration system can also help streamline the asylum process. Currently, asylum seekers often face long delays as their cases are processed, with some waiting for months or even years for a decision. AI could speed up this process, ensuring that those with legitimate claims receive prompt attention while those posing security threats are swiftly identified. This efficiency not only helps manage resources more effectively but also reduces the strain on immigration officials. America’s immigration challenges demand innovative, forward-thinking solutions. AI-driven systems can restore order to a strained process, protect public safety, and preserve the nation’s legacy as a refuge for those in need. Policymakers must act now to implement these proven technologies. The cost of inaction is not only financial — it represents a direct threat to the nation’s security and integrity. Cohen is the CEO and co-founder of Realeye.ai, a leader in homeland security solutions.