New Airport Technology Screens Foreign Visitors

New Airport Technology Screens Foreign Visitors
Scripps Howard News Service

October 28, 2003


WASHINGTON - You have your passport and visa ready? Good.

Now place your right and left index fingers on the flashing red button and
look into the camera. Very good. Now tell me why you're here.

Welcome to the United States.

With demonstrations of ink-less scanners aimed at confirming identities of
visitors and tracking down potential terrorists, as well as an "exit
machine" that keeps an eye on those who overstay their visas, the
Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday took air travel into the era of
biometric security.

The new system, which will be launched in 115 American airports on Jan. 5,
2004, at a cost of $330 million, marked the development of a more
restrictive entry-exist system at ports and borders that had its roots in
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

At a packed press conference, where it took reporters about 20 minutes to
get through security, Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and
transportation security, unveiled the US-Visit Program, which he termed "a
dramatic step forward in immigration and a historic new capability in
security."

A glimpse into the near future was offered in a scenario involving a
customs and border protection officer and his handling of two visitors,
one a businessman, the other a vacationer. Under the existing rules, they
would be questioned only about why they were here and how long they would
be here. Under the new rules, the biometric scanning of fingerprints by
pressing a red button on a small white box, and submitting to a digital
photograph taken by a tiny camera on a tripod, would provide an instant
match for existing information about them.

If no warning green "hit light" flashes on the information screen in front
of the officer, the visitors pass through in what Hutchinson predicted
would be "a matter of seconds." If the light flickers green, it is a
warning signal, and they will move on to what was described as secondary
inspection. If there is evidence of terrorist connections, that will bring
in the police and the FBI.

When visitors leave the United States next year, they will slip their
passports into a self-service kiosk at international airports that
verifies biometrically that they have complied with the terms of their
visas. Overstaying their allotted time could mean an interview with
immigration officials, and re-admission to America could depend on their
compliance with the rules. The exit portion of the new program will not
begin until later next year.

"What we are looking at is confirmation of identity by means of a
biometric check which will not dramatically increase waiting time. It is
simple, fast and effective," said Hutchinson.

He added that while some nations had more strict requirements for
visitors, the United States was the first to use biometrics as an
anti-terrorism tool.

According to officials, no American citizens will be required to be
electronically fingerprinted or photographed on entering the country,
although those wishing to take part in special processing systems may
voluntarily provide biographic and biometric data to expedite their
travels.

The new program also will mean that rules of biometric registration may
apply to the Visa Waiver Program, established in 2000, which applies to 27
nations including Australia, Austria, France, Denmark, German, Ireland,
New Zealand, Norway, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Homeland Security releases noted that the US-Visit plan will replace the
National Security Entry Exit Registration System, a pilot program set up
at all ports of entry last year that allowed inspectors use national
security criteria and intelligence reports to refer some visitors for more
detailed interrogation.

However, registration at a local immigration office will still be required
for nationals from 25 countries, including Iran and Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia and Syria.


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