WASHINGTON - Starting this week, foreigners entering U.S. airports and seaports from all but 28 nations will have their fingerprints scanned and their photographs taken as part of a new program to tighten border security.
All 115 U.S. airports that handle international flights and 14 major seaports are covered by the program, under which Customs officials can instantly check an immigrant or visitor's criminal background.
Called US-VISIT, or U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, the program will check an estimated 24 million foreigners each year, though some will be repeat visitors.
The only exceptions will be visitors from 28 countries ? mostly European nations whose citizens are allowed to come to the United States for up to 90 days without visas.
Inkless fingerprints will be taken and checked instantly against a national digital database for criminal backgrounds and any terrorist lists. The process will be repeated when the foreigners leave the country as an extra security measure and to ensure they complied with visa limitations.
Photographs will be used to help create a database for law enforcement. The travel data is supposed to be securely stored and made available only to authorized officials on a need-to-know basis.
A similar program is to be installed at 50 land border crossings by the end of next year, Strassberger said.
The U.S. system consists of a small box that digitally scans fingerprints and a spherical computer camera that snaps pictures. It will be used for foreign nationals traveling on tourist, business and student visas who enter through an airport or seaport.
Never give up your fingerprints unless you're in custody and actually guilty.
... and for the naive, a fake passport can be purchased quite easily if you want it bad enough.
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