Travel to the US will, once again, get a little bit more annoying for foreigners. Since 2004, the Homeland Security Department has been collecting their index-finger prints, gathering a whopping 90 million sets of prints. Is this ultra-private information safe with the US government? Who knows.
That was apparently only the beginning. The new security program, called US-VISIT, will require foreigners to get all 10 fingerprints scanned. Homeland security spokesman Russ Knocke said to USA Today that biometrics can be a game-changer: “They represent what terrorists fear most – an increased likelihood of getting caught.”
That’s very interesting, Russ. I thought the entire problem with the war of terror is that we have no idea what terrorists want. Clearly, we now do. They are petrified of getting caught. OK then.
By March, foreigners arriving at the following airports will have to provide 10 fingerprints:
• Washington, D.C. area (Dulles)
• Boston
• Chicago (O’Hare)
• Detroit
• Atlanta
• Houston (Intercontinental)
• Miami
• New York (Kennedy)
• Orlando
• San Francisco
Source: Homeland Security Department