U.S. today starts digital inventory of foreign visitors

By Los Angeles Times and New York Daily News

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WASHINGTON — Adapting a concept that supermarkets have perfected, U.S. immigration authorities today will begin using a digital inventory-control system to keep tabs on millions of foreign visitors who enter the country with a visa.

Instead of bar codes and scanners that stores use to track cereal boxes, the government will rely on digitalized fingerprints and photos to register visitors as they arrive and, eventually, to confirm their departure.

The system — United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US-VISIT — will be formally inaugurated today at 113 airports and 14 seaports. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Boeing Field, Kenmore Air and the Port of Seattle all will have the new system, according to Mike Milne, a spokesman for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson is expected to oversee its launch at Los Angeles International Airport, a major gateway for travelers from Asia and South America.

The government touts it as the most significant immigration technology in decades and promises it will add just seconds to the processing of travelers.

But critics say it will do little to intercept would-be terrorists and may further antagonize allies already balking at a growing tangle of red tape for their citizens to visit the United States.

"The system seems to presume that most terrorists are fools," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Va., think tank on defense and terrorism.

Critics note the program has a giant loophole because it doesn't apply to citizens of 27 countries where a U.S. visa is not needed for entry — mostly Western European nations, plus Canada, Australia and Japan. (A complete list and more detailed information on US-VISIT are available on the Internet at www.dhs.gov/us-visit.)

"Many of the countries that we consider our closest allies harbor al-Qaida sympathizers," Thompson said. "As a consequence, the simple possession of nationality in those friendly countries is no guarantee of friendly intent."

The U.S. travel industry, already hit hard after the Sept. 11 attacks, is also worried the new screening will send the wrong message to foreign visitors.

"Unintentionally, there is this perception that's being created that we're just not open for business," said Rick Webster of the Travel Industry Association of America.

Major hubs such as John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York already subject people to long delays in arrival terminals at peak times, Webster noted. "That's not the way we want these international guests to begin their visit here — standing in line for two to three hours to be inspected," he said. "There needs to be a balance between homeland security and economic security."

During trials of US-VISIT this year at Atlanta's international airport, the system added an average 15 seconds to arrival processing, the government said.

Initially, US-VISIT will have big gaps. It will register only arrivals, not departures. Technology to automatically record departures by air and sea is months from deployment, according to optimistic estimates. Moreover, no system has been set up yet to automatically record either arrivals or departures by land, which account for the majority of border crossings.

That means that for at least this year, the government will be like a supermarket tracking its merchandise and sales by simultaneously using bar codes and computers, as well as hand counts and paper inventory sheets.

"The exit-control part is critically important for a coherent immigration system," said Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies. "It's the exit part that's always been the challenge."

Along the land border with Mexico, business groups have warned that the application of US-VISIT could cripple commerce if not carried out carefully. The system is supposed to be phased in at the 50 largest vehicle and pedestrian crossings by the end of 2004.

Congress has been calling for such a system for nearly a decade. The government hopes it will deter not only potential terrorists, but illegal immigrants as well.

"We are looking at two purposes: to increase security and to improve the integrity of immigration control," Hutchinson said. "A key thing is that we will be able to know who is overstaying their visa and violating the terms of their admission to this country."

With nearly 500 million border crossings a year, many by repeat visitors, the United States has one of the world's most open borders.

The Sept. 11 hijackers initially entered the U.S. legally. Balancing tighter security with the need to provide access for foreigners traveling for business, tourism or family reasons is one of the biggest challenges for the State and Homeland Security departments.

Initially, US-VISIT will affect only people traveling on visas who arrive at major air and seaports. The government estimates this category accounts for about 24 million border crossings a year.

Arriving visitors will proceed through the usual Customs and immigration checks, with two additional steps. First, they will have two fingerprints — the right and left index fingers — scanned by an inkless device. Then, a digital photograph will be taken.

The information will be instantaneously compared with government security databases and watch lists. If there is no match to a suspicious or wanted person, the traveler will be allowed to proceed. If any alerts are raised by the database check, the traveler will be asked to step aside for further questions.

The departure component of US-VISIT is scheduled to take effect by the end of the year. Visitors leaving the country will be required to scan their fingerprints.

Arrival and departure information would then be automatically reconciled, a big improvement over a current system that involves paper records.

This way, the government expects to reduce dramatically the number of foreigners who overstay their visas.

Overstays account for about one-third of the estimated 10 million illegal immigrants in the country.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company