The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is proposing that commercial air carriers and cruise line owners and operators collect and transmit international visitors’ biometric information to DHS within 24 hours of leaving the United States.
Non-U.S. citizen have their fingerprints collected when entering the country through the US VISIT program, but Homeland Security also wants to collect the information to confirm that the traveler has left the country.
“The 9/11 Commission called for biometric entry and exit records, because biometrics confirm that travelers are who they say they are and the purpose of their travel is as they claim it to be,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “We’ve built an effective entry system, and combined with the proposed exit system, we’ll have made a quantum leap in America’s border security. Air and sea carriers would actively participate in the proposed exit system, and I look forward to an ongoing dialogue on solutions to meet this key 9/11 Commission recommendation.”
US VISIT tested different exit system at several airports and seaports last year. The tests show that biometric exit procedures must be integrated into the existing traveler process to ensure compliance and provide visitors with a consistent experience from port to port. Homeland Security intends to implement air and sea biometric exit procedures by January 2009. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/thirdfactor-4.gif)
