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August 10, 2005 - 8:20:03 PM

New border program gets mixed reviews

Officials still working out kinks in biometrics system
By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer

More than 18 months after the initial phase-in of a biometrics-based border inspections program, its effectiveness in deterring and intercepting ineligible foreign visitors, including criminals, remains contested.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security argues that the United States-Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program enhances security while ensuring the integrity of the nation's immigration system and facilitating legitimate travel and trade.

The program collects biographic information as well as digital fingerscans and digital photographs of foreign visitors at visa-issuing posts around the world, and at entry and exit points in the country to authenticate visitors' identities. It also provides watch list checks with law enforcement databases.

"US-Visit is a critical tool designed to enhance the security of our citizens and visitors," said Anna Hinken, a Homeland Security department spokeswoman, in a prepared statement.

But some argue the program is much less effective than it could be since it excludes some groups namely most Mexicans and Canadians from enrolling in the program's entry or exit components.

"I believe that we are not going to stop terrorists if we can't stop the pool cleaners, the bus boys, the other folks that are getting through," said Jessica M. Vaughan, a senior policy analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, which released a report this week on the subject.

While US-Visit screening applies to visitors holding non-immigrant visas, most Canadians do not require a visa to enter the country. In addition, Mexicans claiming they will stay less than 30 days, or will not travel beyond the immediate border area more than 25 miles into California are also exempt from screening at landports.

Most Mexican visitors enter using a Border Crossing Card, which is issued to short-term visitors entering for either business or pleasure, Vaughan said. But the biometric features used on these crossing cards are "rarely used" to screen or verify the identity of a foreign visitor, allowing impostors to use them with little risk of detection, she said.

A decision was made early last year to initially exempt those entering with a Border Crossing Card from the program, Hinken said.

"It was our first year for our system being out there," she said. "We wanted to make sure we would facilitate everyone in the system."

But Border Crossing Card holders are fingerprinted when they first apply for a card from the U.S. Department of State, Hinken said. And while most Canadians are not subject to US-Visit, all Canadian travelers into the United States will be required to carry a valid passport or other valid traveler documentation by 2008, Hinken said.

US-Visit is simply a building block, she added, and may be expanded to include some of the excluded groups in the future.

Others argue that US-Visit is an anti-immigrant device that is intended to keep foreigners away, since they must pay for the program. It also fails to address the underlying causes of illegal immigration, said Greg Boos, a Bellingham, Wash.-based immigration attorney.

"What is the best way to address the problem?" he said. "Change the system so (immigrants) have a legal mechanism to enter the United States" and fill positions others don't want.

Charles Showalter, a Pittsburgh-based airport inspector and president of a DHS employees union, said that while US-Visit is an additional tool for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, it is not a magic wand to identify all those entering the country with malicious intentions.

"I contend that a dedicated, fully trained specialized Customs and Border Protection officer on the border, who fully understands the sections of law they are to enforce, will produce more adverse actions than some generalist punching keys," he said.

T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, is no believer in the US-Visit program for several reasons. While it indicates who has overstayed their visa, the resources aren't available to track those people down.

And while it is a tool for law-abiding people who wish to return to the country legally, or earn legal status at some point, a potential criminal or terrorist likely wouldn't care that they are unable to enter the country legally in the future.

"If people think it's going to make them safer, I wouldn't count on that," Bonner said.

US-Visit procedures are in place at many land, air and seaports with international arrivals, and entry procedures are expected to be deployed to the remaining land points of entry by the end of the year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Exit procedures are still being piloted. The entry-exit program is expected to be fully operational by 2009, Hinken said.