WASHINGTON, 30 September 2004 — Europeans who are allowed to travel to the United States without a visa will from today have to give fingerprints and have a photo taken when they arrive at US airports and ports.
Up to now citizens of 27 countries — including the 15 European Union countries, Australia, New Zealand and Japan — were exempt from similar security controls imposed on other visitors since the start of the year. About 13 million people enter the United States needing no visa, using just their passport.
The new entry rules “add minimal time to the process — an average of 15 seconds in most case,” according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration agents will take digital imprints of both index fingers on an inkless scanner, and a digital photograph. The data will be checked with the passport information and cross-referenced against existing “no-fly” lists and crime databases.
The biometric identifiers also protect the visitors, according to a Homeland Security statement, “by making it virtually impossible for anyone else to claim their identity should their biometrically-enhanced travel documents (such as a visa) be stolen or duplicated.”
The information will help authorities crosscheck the visitors with a list of wanted criminals.
US border controls tightened considerably after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when terrorists hijacked and crashed four passenger airplanes, killing nearly 3,000 people.
“The US is committed to keeping our doors open to visitors,” said Asa Hutchinson, the Department of Homeland Security’s under-secretary for border and transportation security, at a press conference in London on Tuesday.
“We want to increase, and not to diminish, travel from Europe to the United States,” he said.
Since the new US security measures were introduced in early January at 115 airports and 14 seaports “more than 8.5 million foreign visitors have been processed without adversely impacting wait time,” according to Homeland Security.
Since the new measures have been in place authorities have discovered more than 280 suspected criminals and people traveling with false documents, officials said.
Starting Dec. 31 the new measures will be extended to 50 US border crossings, and will be in place at all border crossings by the end of 2005.
In one year, nationals of the 27 countries must also have a biometric passport, which will include a bar code and a digital photograph.
