The U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched its US-VISIT program last week and it’s only a matter of time before the controversial screening process arrives in Borderland.
“The US-VISIT program is designed to enhance security and ensure the integrity of our immigration system,” said Mike Milne, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Security.
“US-VISIT is an important new element in the global war against terrorism and will serve as a catalyst in the growing international use of biometrics to expedite processing of travellers,” Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge said at the launch in Atlanta last Monday.
Biometric information refers to characteristics that are unique to each individual, like fingerprints. The program involves taking scanned, inkless fingerprints and digital photographs of travellers entering the United States.
The screening does not apply to tourists visiting the U.S., provided they come from one of 27 exempted countries, including Canada, but it does apply to Canadians holding visas to work, live, or study south of the border.
Canadians crossing the border to shop or go on holidays do not have to go through the screening.
The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program was launched at 115 airports across the U.S., including the one at International Falls, and 14 seaports.
While the technology has not yet been implemented at land border crossings with Canada and Mexico, the 50 busiest will implement the program by the end of this year.
These top 50 points of entry will cover 80 percent of people entering the United States by land.
The crossing at International Falls sits at No. 40 on that list, with scanners and digital cameras to be in place there before Jan. 1, 2005.
All remaining land border crossings, such as the ones at Baudette and just north of Warroad, will be using the US-VISIT program by Jan. 1, 2006.
But implementing the scanners and cameras at borders will be a challenge.
“The physical infrastructure of how we’re going to do it at land borders is more difficult than at the airports,” Milne noted.
“At land borders, you drive your car up,” he noted. “Say you’ve got four people travelling in a car that require visa processing. How are you going to do that without impeding the flow of traffic?”
Milne said the details have not been worked out yet, but possibilities include having to bring passengers into the customs office for the scan or setting up a camera and fingerprint scanner at the customs officer’s booth.
“That’s going to cost a good deal of money, and it’s going to take a good deal of time to roll that out,” he added.
The Department of Homeland Security said the screening process is quick, taking less than a minute. Travellers are required to place each of their index fingers on an inkless scanner and then to pose for a photograph.
Visa-holders will have to go through this process each time they enter the United States, and plans are in the works for a similar scan when visa-holders exit country (although it likely won’t be implemented for some time).
“The timeframe of the exit program is yet to be determined,” Milne said. “It’s still on the planning blocks.”
A pilot version of the exit program currently is being tested in Baltimore and in Miami, where visa-holders are scanned as they leave the U.S.
“It will allow us to know who has come in and left, and who has come in and hasn’t left,” Milne explained.
All visas have an expiration date, but until now it has been impossible to keep track of who is still in the country on an expired visa and who has left. The exit screening portion of the US-VISIT program will allow Washington to keep track of people who have overstayed.
All visa-holders are required to go through the screening, except for type ‘A’ and ‘G’ visas, which are diplomatic. Canadian citizens who work or study in the U.S., who own or invest in a U.S. business, or who are engaged to be married to a U.S. citizen must go through the screening.
This also applies to athletes, musicians, artists, and even reporters.
“For people who get enrolled, it provides integrity and safety of their documentation,” Milne said. “If your passport and visa are lost or stolen, this program will eliminate anyone’s ability to fraudulently use your documentation.”
While the US-VISIT program has been launched at the Falls International Airport, it only will be used for corporate and private aircraft arriving from a country other than the U.S.
“It will not be used for scheduled airline service,” said airport manager Thor Einarson, who added no international commercial flights land there.
Fort Frances Times
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