US conducts biometric tests at 50 border points

[Judi Lynn]

US conducts biometric tests at 50 border points
Web posted at: 1/4/2005 3:10:18
Source ::: AFP


WASHINGTON: The 50 busiest US border points with Canada and Mexico now use biometric tests to identify foreign visitors, the Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday.

Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security, said the new US-Visit entry-exit system using biometrics was operational just ahead of the December 31 deadline mandated by the US Congress, part of the automation of the I-94 process.

“US-Visit is expediting the processing time for those visitors who are subject to US-Visit procedures at land ports of entry,” said Hutchinson. “The process, which in Laredo, Texas, took more than 10 minutes before US-Visit was implemented, now takes less than five minutes.
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The use of biometric processing – digital fingerprinting and numeric photography – has led to the arrest or denial of admission to 372 criminals and immigration violators, the Department said in a statement.
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