Who you are. Govt. begins new program this week.
 

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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.

so, what, if they have a criminal record they can't come in?

that surely cant be the case.... that'd cut down on alot of visitors...

So what are the 28 "safe" countries?

I think mostly Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Known felons are not usually allowed to have passports and/or to travel from one country to another.

Fucked up. :( Never give up your fingerprints unless you're in custody and actually guilty.

what are you talking about? people who might have been arrested for shoplifting or some small drug possesion charge have criminal records but are welcome to get a passport and travel. Maybe not in the USA, but thats not irrelvant since we are talking about people from other nations.

I hope they get a special line for all those people, the customs line at US airports are already dreadful and takes forever to get threw as it is!

In the US it is difficult for a felon to obtain a passport...and the US does not welcome known felons from other countries with open arms...if at all.

Hahaha, funny shit, just heard on the news Brazil is pissed off they weren't included in the 28 safe countries so they are retaliating in kind and now will require all American citizens traveling to Brazil to be photographed and fingerprinted before being allowed into Brazil.

What's next? Mandatory strip, bend over and spread'm inspections to travel everywhere you go.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

Sounds like fun to me!

Yeah, that little kid looks like a terrorist :1orglaugh :glugglug

Yeh and pity the poor soul who is assigned to the tourist anal inspections desk all day long.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

good fucking idea :thumbsup ... and for the naive, a fake passport can be purchased quite easily if you want it bad enough.

I support personal freedom and privacy, but its no skin off my sack when they want to go through my shit to make sure im not going to kill a bunch of innocent people ...

people crying about invasion of privacy, what the fuck ... i couldnt give a shit if the federal government knew what kind of lube i jerked off with. Im more concerned with private marketing firms getting my info and calling and harrassing me all day long on the phone.

gov't probably sells lists to the marketing firms anyways :)

M

Talk to some vietnam vets sometime about the little kids that would walk up to the fences strapped to the gills with explosives. It was either shoot the child before he got to the fence, or let him blow a huge hole in the fence for charlie to come through.

Floating around the board somewhere there's a pic of a muslim woman strapping up a small boy (looks to be 6 or so) with explosives the same way.

Sad, but true.

Good point Carrie. Kids are a perfect way to move terrorist tools onto a plane. Sad but true and that's why everyone needs to be screened.

In most European countries, the police can stop you for no reason as you're walking in the street and ask you for ID.
In the US, if they do that the ACLU will scream bloody murder.

In Paris if you're black and are walking in the street, you'll get stop by the cops at least twice a day.

I don't see what's so bad about taking fingerprints and pictures of people who are entering a foreign country on a visa.

Go to Egypt and most likely they will hold your passport until you leave.

more wasted $ on 'homeland security'. so much for bush being a conservative

I don't agree with having countries that don't get checked. That's like saying "if you're planning on doing something illegal or terror-inspiring over here, just make sure you come through this other country instead of your own."
And they will.

First check those coming in with visas, then as soon as system is in place, check those coming on visa waiver.
Then make it that when someone who is not a US citizen or legal resident will have to have their fingerprints scanned when they leave.
Print in, print out = INS knows if one overstays or not, not much different than going to Europa, stamp in and stamp out if you're not from the EU

LOL.... " Stamp in" ??? What does that do, except show that you were in that country. Can't be tracked by a rubber stamp....

I visited Italy about 20 times, sometimes my passport was stamped, sometimes not. I left for Budapest ( train from Venice), no " stamp out ... It is quite different than fingerprinting ( which up to now was used mainly for criminal cases and high securitu jobs)... Same with France and even same with USA ( stamp in entering from Guatemala into Miami, but no stamp out back to Canada...).

Anyway, I agree with Carrie... If you are going to impose a system, impose it across the board to close all flaws. It would be less insulting to citizens of countries that don't have " visa waiver".

The scary part of this is what is this neocon government going to do with the data collected... Huuummmmm.....

Just wait until that's all in place... then it'll be required fingerprints and face photos for all US citizens as well. Hell, all your driver's license is missing is the fingerprint.
Here in VA they even use your SS# as the license ID by default. You can ask that they use a randomly chosen number, but it's a very small option on the form (second page) that has to be checked, and then you need to check the license when you get it because most of the clerks don't even look to see whether you've checked it or not. They just pump through the default and there's your SS# for all to see. :feels-hot

Maybe George is pushing too much this prevention thing, but it can be a good test, of course until the 28 countries will be thought safe :1orglaugh

gee like the terrorists cant come in through on of these 'trust worthy' countries.

But in Nevada county a felon can keep a gun in her house, let her dog kill my chickens, chase my horse,she can feed my horses and leave molded bad hay next to the fence on her side where my horses can get it .

:321GFY the sheriffs in nevada county

Well terrorists don't have a criminal record to begin with. It's a one man = one final mission kinda business. Personally I ain't gonna be travelling anymore, you never know to which country they may ship you to just because you look suspicious.

they are shooting themselves in the foot with this move.


too big brotherish

Sounds like a great place for identity theft. :Graucho

I'll wear my Mr. Potato head outfit.:thumbsup