U.S. to Fingerprint E.U. Visitors

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

U.S. to Fingerprint E.U. Visitors
By CONSTANT BRAND
Associated Press Writer

June 25, 2007, 1:50 PM EDT

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Visitors from European nations traveling
with visas or visa-free to the United States will soon have to give
10 digital fingerprints when entering the country, a senior U.S.
Homeland Security official said Monday.

Border checks could also soon include other biometric data, such as
facial and eye retina scans, as the U.S. upgrades security at its
ports, airports and border crossings, said P.T. Wright, the operations
director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT
Program.

All people from European nations and others participating in the U.S.
Visa-Waiver program would have to give additional prints, as would
people traveling from nations where visas are needed, he said.

Wright, who was in Brussels to explain the new system to EU officials,
said a pilot project at 10 major U.S. airports would be launched in
late 2007, expanding the current program that calls for taking prints
of two fingers and facial photographs.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-eu-us-travel-security,0,6134460.story

[MADem]

1. Paaaapers!! Let me zeee yurrrr PAAAAAPERS!!! nt

[Sanity Claws]

2. Oh my!

I wouldn't go to a country if they treated like a criminal, would you? I just don't get it.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. That should really slow down tourism.

[Lorien]

33. And for those states that depend on tourism, it's already starting to hurt

I live in Florida, a state with plenty of bad karma already. My town-Orlando-has had a huge upswing in crime recently, and I suspect much of it is due to unemployment.

Heck, I know a Canadian who was born in Germany who has been trying for two years to visit his daughter in the US, and customs just won't allow it. Seems like the fact that he worked in Russia for two years eight years ago makes him ineligible for entry into the states-and this is a guy who does contract work for GM!

[HereSince1628]

4. It won't prevent crimes, but it could help prosecutors make cases

and you know, for a career politician a successful record as a USAG is VERY important. Just ask Carol Lam.

[thereismore]

5. That'll boost our tourist industry. nt

[wakeme2008]

6. LOL British will have to do this too

:rofl:

[DKRC]

7. That's one way to keep all those democracy loving foreigners outta the Homeland

if the real possibility of being snatched and renditioned to a secret prison for torture doesn't give them pause ...

I feel like I'm living in a bad WWII movie.

:puke:







If bad typing is ever outlawed - it's been nice knowing y'all!
#*!%& typos!

[saigon68]

29. I wonder if they will fingerprint the swimmers of the Rio Grande?

[DKRC]

34. O no, those folk are coming here to stay

the danger is in those sneaky EU travelers who come here for vacation or business and then leave. It's a nefarious scheme and the Homeland will only be secure if we have all their personal data digitized and stored in a man-sized Mosler safe!

[saigon68]

36. That's true

"They" are here to work in sweatshops for $4.00 an hour in cash, no benefits, no work comp, no health insurance etc. In constant fear of being deported, as their "Corporate Masters" get rich.

[Bjornsdotter]

8. Once again the MSM is NOT on top of things

....this happened to my cousin in October 2006 flying in from Copenhagen.

Glad we are so up to date on our news :sarcasm:

Cheers


Edit for wrong month

[benld74]

9. Quick call the State Dept, more fingerprinters are needed STAT

[sinkingfeeling]

10. I guess they really don't want those Europeans coming over here and buying 'cheap' USA products with

their Euros and Pounds!

[Eurobabe]

14. That's gotta be the reason behind all this...

:wtf:

[puebloknot]

23. Or stealing our democracy and sneaking it through Customs!!!

[dipsydoodle]

32. Thought you would say

all those cheap US products with "Made in China" tags. :rofl:

[KansDem]

11. Can a urine test be far behind? (nt)

[spotbird]

12. This will do wonders for the already stalled

tourist trade.

Why do they think anyone would put up with this?

[treestar]

13. If only they had done this before 911

Then 911 would never have happened, and if it happened, they could have identified the hijackers faster! :sarcasm:

Same as requiring passports to come home from Canada or Mexico. So many of the hijackers got into the U.S. by pretending to be Americans. :sarcasm:

[daleo]

37. No doubt they would have found the hijackers' fingers in the rubble

Much like the convenient passport that was found.

[superconnected]

15. The politics of fear

Cause the RW has nothing else to run off. Must keep people afraid.

[rucky]

16. You wanna see a finger, Homeland Security? I'll give you a finger! n/t

[niyad]

17. hmm, this country sounds more like a dictatorship every day

[lovuian]

18. Why don't they fingerprint Canadians and Mexicans too???

they are coming in also

[youngdem]

19. Quick, everyone buy a put position in hotels and airlines

Bushco never ceases to amaze me...

I guess Carlyle hasn't taken any positions in any travel industry companies?

[PSPS]

20. Gee, and they wonder why tourism is down (story over the weekend.)

[cosmicdot]

21. that'll look inviting in the Visit the USA brochures

Missed Germany in the 30s, well ...

and, US Mayors want to waste vital funds on 'marketing'???



Tourists aren't flocking to the U.S.

The number of overseas visitors dropped sharply from 2000 to 2005.

Mayors urge more spending on marketing.

By Kimi Yoshino, Times Staff Writer

June 22, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tourism22jun22,0,4127611.story?coll=la-home-center

[OzarkDem]

22. Yet ok to have open borders w/ Mexico?

No wonder foreign tourism is down in the US. Who would want to pay to be subjected to this kind of treatment?

[CGowen]

24. Just call the European Passport Register

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/feb/26eu-biometric-passports.htm

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/15/eu_uk_biometric_passports/

[many a good man]

25. ALL Europeans? Or just the swarthy ones??

Honestly, I don't know why any non-national would want to come visit this country given the fact that they lack habeas corpus here.

[Nihil]

30. All Europeans (in fact everyone who can't walk across to America)

They did this to me in April when I went to LA on business.

Got off an eleven hour flight and stood around for the best part of
another hour in a large hall in LAX waiting for my turn to give my
fingerprints to the few donkeys who were manning the (mostly empty) desks.

"Welcome to America. Now let us treat you like a criminal."

I really liked West Hollywood - loved the people! - and will go back
there if my company requires it but there is NO way that I'm going to
take my family through that fucking charade for "pleasure".

I'll warn anyone else about this mess too - it's their choice on whether
a cheap holiday is still worth it or not but I'd hate them to have to
stand in line for ages with tired kids if they didn't expect it.

Thanks BushCo and Fatherland Security!

[Nikki Stone1]

26. Boy, that'll help tourism.

:sarcasm:

[struggle4progress]

27. Why not collect a DNA sample, bank routing info, and political affiliation, too?

I mean, as starters, until we can come up with a more comprehensive data bank, that includes comments from the would-be-visitors neighbors and employers?

:eyes:

[Vidar]

28. Destroying air travel apparently wasn't enough. The war on

tourism rages on.

[OneBlueSky]

31. way to kill the tourism industry . . . what's left of it . . . n/t

.

[Javaman]

35. Oh yeah, this will really help the saging tourist industry now...

:banghead: