Feb04GovtReport

Despite criticism from the Government Accounting Office, the travel industry, and members of the United States Congress, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program on January 5, 2004. US-VISIT will alter both entry and exit procedures for foreign visitors with non-immigrant visas. By using biometric technology, the system will capture the fingerprints and a digital photograph of each non-immigrant visitor upon entry into the United States. This information will be used to determine if fingerprints match those taken when the visa was initially issued, and to identify travelers with criminal records that went unreported or unnoticed at the time the visa was issued.

Entry procedures for US-VISIT were implemented at 115 airports and 14 cruise ship terminals across the country. Tests conducted in a pilot program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport showed that the new entry procedures add an average of 15 seconds to the process at primary inspection for foreign nationals traveling with visas. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta pilot program identified several travelers with criminal records, including one person traveling under a false identity. Self-service, automated kiosks allow visitors with visas to scan their travel documents and repeat the digital “fingerscanning” process upon leaving the United States. The exit procedure is being tested at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as well as the Miami Seaport.

Though these new entry procedures do not currently affect countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, waiver program participants could be subject to some biometric tracking in the near future. The requirement for all Visa Waiver Program participants to have machine-readable passports, which will contain some biometric identifiers, by October 2004 is fast approaching. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge indicated that all travelers would need to confirm their identities saying, “US-VISIT is just the first step in a series of steps so we get a fully integrated record of who comes into the country and who leaves.”

The new system has been widely criticized, namely by the Americans for Better Borders (ABB) Coalition, of which IAAPA is an active member. The coalition has raised concerns throughout the government that new immigration procedures are executed too hastily. Coalition members have indicated that the October 24, 2004, biometric deadline for visa waiver countries will not be met by a majority of the countries participating. Reports indicate the secretary of state is considering a waiver of the October deadline, as was done with the machine-readable passport deadline last year. And some concerned entities along the Mexican border have called for repeal of the exit requirement or the elimination of the US-VISIT system altogether. The coalition supports recommendations that Congress reevaluate deadlines for the US-VISIT project and will continue to work toward a substantive dialogue with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State.

Among those vocalizing concerns about how the travel industry might be affected is House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.). In letters dated November 24, 2003, to Secretary of State Powell and Secretary Ridge, Davis expressed concerns that a poorly designed and executed system could, “clog airports, cost millions in business and tourism, and ultimately hurt border security.” Davis added that “the task of collecting, storing and accurately accessing biometric records in the quantity required is unprecedented.” Both letters requested detailed information about the implementation of the program, as both departments were given a deadline of December 8, 2003, to respond. These letters and requests for information likely indicate that the chairman will hold a hearing on that matter, and Davis could choose to investigate the US-VISIT program further early in the second session of the 108th Congress.

Many of Davis’s concerns were illustrated in a Government Accounting Office (GAO) report dated September 2003. By congressional mandate, GAO was asked to provide observations about US-VISIT and management of the program. The 104-page report indicated that US-VISIT is a very risky endeavor, and recommended that the Homeland Security Department take greater steps to establish an effective program management capability. Besides concerns for cost and scope of the program, GAO also identified that the existing systems being used by US-VISIT have known problems. Because of the risks involved, the GAO concluded that it will be very difficult for the Department of Homeland Security to achieve its stated goals for the US-VISIT program.

Secretary Ridge has assured travelers that their movements while in the United States will not be tracked, but that the purpose of the US-VISIT program is simply effective and safe border management.