The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yesterday began collecting fingerprints and photographs of foreign nationals departing the United States from two airports as part of a test under the US-VISIT program to help determine whether non-U.S. citizens are leaving the country on time.
The pilot projects are taking place at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and will continue through early July.
“Collecting biometrics allows us to determine faster and more accurately whether non-U.S. citizens have departed the United States on time or remained in the country illegally,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. “The pilot programs in Atlanta and Detroit will help us determine and develop standard procedures for use at airports across the country to expedite legitimate travel and enhance our nation’s security.”
Under US-VISIT, Customs and Border Protection officers typically include a biometric check of foreign nationals arriving in the U.S. to make sure they are the same person who applied for and received a visa overseas.
In the pilot tests CBP officers in Detroit will collect biometrics at the boarding gate and Transportation Security Administration officers in Atlanta will collect biometrics at security checkpoints.
DHS has previously attempted to text biometric exit procedures, finding that the technology worked well but not the process (Defense Daily, Dec. 16, 2008). Accenture [ACN] is the prime contractor for US-VISIT.