If they're leaving anyway, what's the idea? Let's catch them, charge them, jail them, and deport them, because letting them leave voluntarily is too easy?
To me, exit controls are put in place when governments have an idea that they may want to not let people leave.

What sort of questions? Checking for currency? (valid) or like, where are you going?

Yes, that would make a lot of sense.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-m...rvey-target-id

Improved technology for comparing entries and exits along the land border will enhance CBP’s ability to secure the border, identify visa overstays, identify persons of interest, and improve reporting and analysis of international visitors to the U.S.

I totally get the "person of interest" == criminal trying to exit the country. But CBP itself also claims the "identify visa overstay" reason. And that one i do not get. The "improve reporting and analysis of international visitors" is also strange. Statistical ethnic profiling ? "This year we had more visitors with short stubby noses" ???

To be fair, then they can blacklist the visa overstayer from being re-admitted

Where are you going, where have you been, how long have you been here... No questions about currency that I recall.

They were asking these questions to US citizens?

I don't get the "person of interest" reason either. Either there is an arrest warrant, or there isn't. If there is, cancel the passport, or alert the country who issued the foreign passport. If there isn't, get one or leave them alone.

criminal uses stolen passport not in his name to leave country. Biometrics would help here.

A new report by surveillance law researchers questions the effectiveness of DHS's exit program and legality of facial scans:

https://gizmodo.com/homeland-securit...d-p-1821496186

CBP Exit controls
 

I'm at the gate for SFO-FRA. CBP has at least fourteen officers gathered here. According to the last gate announcement, they're doing biometric comparisons camera vs passport data. It doesn't look like they have a lot of cameras setup, so I'm unclear on why exactly this needs that many officers.

Fun.

On the other side of the "equation" = long waits for arriving pax clearing CBP, not enough agents [they're at SFO-FRA gate].

Almost assuredly they doing training on them, which is why they all are there. Of course, it'd probably be easier for everyone if they spread it out among different flights, but that's up to CBP..

IAH has the set up around gate E-7 IIRC. A few weeks ago CBP was set-up to do the scans for our outbound flight IAH-NRT. I, as a global services, was off to the side and second up to board. CBP announced all would have to come up and have their picture taken. I, of course, immediately asked the CBP officer what it was and if it was mandatory (knowing already what it was and that it was not for US Citizens and Nationals). He proceeded to explain it was a "test program" and would be mandatory for foreign nationals but was not for US citizens. He explained if I did not do it they would have to verify "via other methods" using the passport and it would "take longer". I said that was fine, polite and calm always but not overly friendly. He then proceeded to open my passport, ask where I was going and if for business. He tried to make a little small talk about my university ring ( I gathered he thought it was from his school, though it was not). Then he said have a nice trip. All in all it took about 60 seconds. YMMV.


Orlando MCO giddy they are making mandatory for all flights:
https://apnews.com/eade4e6efbf442328b0e1eefabd98f05

DFW is adding them for testing also.

So US citizens are exempt from being 'required' to do this?