US airports to use biometric security screening
Visitors to US airports from next year will have their photos and fingerprints taken in an unprecedented peacetime security clampdown.
The US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday detailed the $700 million US-VISIT Programme (visitor and immigrant status indicator technology), an airport security plan deploying biometric screening to gather data on all visitors travelling on a visa.
Immigration officers will use scanners to collect fingerprints and take photographs with digital cameras.
The data will then be used to identify potential terror suspects.
Asa Hutchinson, under-secretary for Border and Transportation Security at the Department of Homeland Security, said the plan would provide “historic new capabilities in security.”
He said: “It also gives us increased integrity of our immigration-visitor system, and, finally, which is very important to us, it gives us the opportunity to facilitate the legitimate travellers to the United States.”
Despite the increased vigilance at airports, the US wished to remain a “welcoming nation,” he added.
From next month at Atlanta International Airport, a new installation of the US-VISIT system will be tested.
From January 5th 2004, 115 US airports are expected to have the new system up and running and by 2005 50 of the US’ largest land borders and seaports will adopt the security measures.
