US-VISIT Program
 

What are your thoughts on this system? Do you mind being photographed and fingerprinted every time you arrive in the US? I don't mind, as long as I can clear immigration in one piece. However, I fail to see how it would keep out terrorists, as they're going to send someone who hasn't been in the US before, and therefore, they're not going to be detected by fingerprinting!

I dont mind, my only concern is that the immigration queues become slower than they are already.

In some countires, your are photographed when you apply for a VISA. the US VISIT program verifies the State Deparment photo with your face. This is same about fingerprinting. The fingerprinting searches through a criminal database during the initial interview at the airport.

Absolutely.

Yes, but not for those people still using VWP - we (i.e UK citizens) don't apply for a visa in advance, so the photo is being taken as a cross-reference to the fingerprints & added to the state depts. records at that stage.

I think the Q US citizens should ask is how they would feel if other countries welcomed them in this way.....

True Tony but I think all western hemishpere nations are going to move over to some element of biometric security which is an extension of this. The US will not be alone at this level of scrutiny.

... and how do you suggest this will help against hitherto unknown suicidal terrorists?

Yeah, but at least they'd have the guy's photo after the event :rolleyes:

In theory biometric data is far harder to manipulate and falsify than the current documentation. One would assume that the data will be automatically cross referenced against a database of known or suspected individuals involved in terrorist activites and be flagged up if there's a match.

It will also help discount those people who are frequent business travellers from more intense scrutiny (or hopefully anyway).

... and I ask again: "... and how do you suggest this will help against hitherto unknown suicidal terrorists?" In other words, after the suicide bomber -- who was previously unknown to be a terrorist -- attacks and dies himself/herself, how does the US VISIT program or such other things help? ;)

Even if a system like this was in place prior to 9/11, the overwhelming majority of the 9/11 attackers would still have been in place in the United States.

You mean if they hadn't died of starvation whilst standing in the queues for immigration at their first port of arrival? ;)

^^

... even if. :D ROTFLOL

It's really not intended to do that, as most people would think. What they hope to achieve is to catch criminals and others who travel with false papers...

Yes, I know that. But I think Ridge and Bush said it will keep out terrorists. But it has been successful in catching imposters with US visas and fake visas. The US-Visit program brings up the picture printed on the visa into the officers screen, so it a good deterrent against being altered or faked. And the biometric data collected at the US consulate when a non-immigrant visa is issued is matched when you arrive into the US I'm told.