DHS pilots biometric exit procedures
29 May, 2009
category: Biometrics, Government
In a pilot program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun taking biometric samples from visitors of the country as they are leaving. The pilot is setup at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport where they are collecting fingerprints from the non-U.S. citizens.
While collection of biometric information from visitors from other countries is nothing new, this is the first that collects at the end of the visit rather than as they are entering and moving through immigration checkpoints.
The intention of this program is to get a better idea of whether or not visiting nationals are staying illegally in the country after they were expected to leave. The program is part of the US-VISIT program and is being conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Detroit while officials from the Transportation Security Administration are administering the biometric data collection in Atlanta.