Visitors to the United States are now being required to share 10 fingerprints on entering the country. Here’s the text of a release the DHS is sending around. (I’ll link to it when I find it online.)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now collecting additional fingerprints from international visitors arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport (Dulles). The change is part of the department’s upgrade from two- to 10-fingerprint collection in order to enhance security and fingerprint matching accuracy.
“Anyone who’s watched the news or seen crimes solved on television shows can appreciate the power of biometrics,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “They help the legitimate traveler proceed more quickly while protecting their identity and enable our frontline personnel to focus even greater attention on potential security risks. Biometrics tell the story that the unknown terrorist tries to conceal, and it causes them to question whether they’ve ever left a print behind.”
I wonder how visitors from other countries feel being asked to submit fingerprints and go through biometric background checks just to come here and visit. I’m not sure we’re the beacon of liberty we used to be.
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