Thread: Congress turns sharp eye on border program

Feb. 17, 2007

Congress turns sharp eye on border program
Homeland security defends monitoring tool in face of criticism that it is unable to discern when foreign visitors leave

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 721596.htm

By Dan Duray
HEARST NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security's program for identifying illegal immigrants and terrorists is unable to locate foreign nationals inside the United States or determine if they ever leave the country, a senior homeland security official said Friday.

The DHS's $1.7 billion United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program is responsible for documenting all foreign travelers through use of fingerprints and digital photographs, as well as checking their names against criminal records and watch lists of suspected terrorists.

Started in January 2004, US-VISIT has succeeded in recording the arrivals of travelers in the United States, said Robert Mocny, the program's acting director.

But Mocny acknowledged in testimony before members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that US-VISIT still is unable to determine when, or if, visitors leave the country, a goal set for the program at its creation.

Lawmakers sharply criticized US-VISIT for failing to keep track of foreign travelers after they pass through U.S. airports, seaports and land-border checkpoints.

Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said it should be easy to verify when someone leaves the country.

"If Wal-Mart can tie together 2,000 stores with probably 20,000 check-out stations, and they can instantaneously tell you whether your credit's good by swiping your card and checking with some sources -- if they can install a system like that, why can't the U.S. government?" Rogers asked Mocny. "Is it that complicated?"

Rogers and Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., said the program's failures are so significant that they would favor not funding US-VISIT if DHS officials don't submit a plan for fixing them.

Mocny said that exit-regulation plans were still being discussed within the organization and that he and other US-VISIT officials "wanted to make sure they got it right" before presenting a plan to lawmakers.

"This affects the lives of millions of people who cross our borders every day," Mocny said.

Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas, whose district covers 700 miles of the Mexican border, agreed with other lawmakers that even though millions commute across the border, a plan to verify departure should be simple.

Mocny defended the program, saying that since its implementation, US-VISIT has stopped more than 1,800 incoming foreign nationals who either attempted to enter using false information or were flagged as dangerous.

"Through biometric identification technologies, US-VISIT has revolutionized our ability to verify that travelers are who they say they are and that they do not pose a threat," Mocny said.

Biometrics, technology that recognizes humans through physical attributes, are used by US-VISIT in the form of digital photography and fingerprints, but other examples of biometric identification include retinal identification and analysis of hand shape.

Mocny also said that US-VISIT was in the process of upgrading its fingerprint technology to incorporate 10 fingers, rather than the current two. The program also shares its fingerprint data with the FBI, and has begun to also share the data with local police in pilot programs in Boston, and Dallas and Harris Counties in Texas.

According to Mocny, within 24 hours of sharing this data, police arrested and deported a man in Harris County, where Houston is located, after identifying him through US-VISIT data.

1,800 out of how many millions The program is not wrking well enough for me

Mocny appears to think the program is not working as well as it could, but he is defending it? I guess he knows that if the program goes, he goes. What a joke!!!

"This affects the lives of millions of people who cross our borders every day," Mocny said.

Mocny doesn't seem to understand that not implementing this program could affect the lives of millions of US CITIZENS.

I'm not surprised by their incompetence. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Seems we read more and more about the incompetency of DHS. Of all depts since 9/11 this one should be one of the best regulated for public safety.