<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by nan358:
Excuse me, but before 9/11 it took only 10 minutes to apply for INSPASS and receive one at LAX INSPASS office. Renewal also took 10 minues flat. (I'm a non-US citizen.)
I don't think the agent did any background check other than just scanning my passport and looking up INS records.</font>
This is very true. And they don't take a complete set of finger-prints that would be needed to facilitate a complete background check. Even the palm thing-- it's not a "palm-print"-- it's a hand geometry, which is effective, but doesn't give them anything to run through NCIC, etc.
Plus, I'm not sure it's accurate to say they were looking for "security risks" during this process (pre-9/11)-- I don't think they were doing any profiling whatsoever (and I'm
not using "profiling" in a pejorative sense,) during the "interview" for INSpass
I don't even remember them checking my passport stamps during the process-- but I bet they do now.