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DHS To Grab Biometric Data From Green Card Holders

Posted by Soulskill on from the imports-with-documentation dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Nextgov: "The Homeland Security Department has announced plans to expand its biometric data collection program to include foreign permanent residents and refugees. Almost all noncitizens will be required to provide digital fingerprints and a photograph upon entry into the United States as of Jan. 18. A notice (PDF) in Friday's Federal Register said expansion of the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US VISIT) will include 'nearly all aliens,' except Canadian citizens on brief visits. Those categories include permanent residents with green cards, individuals seeking to enter on immigrant visas, and potential refugees. The US VISIT program was developed after the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks to collect fingerprints from foreign visitors and run them against the FBI's terrorist watch list and other criminal databases. Another phase of the project, to develop an exit system to track foreign nationals leaving the country, has run into repeated setbacks." Reader MirrororriM points out other DHS news that they're thinking about monitoring blogs for information on terrorists.

2 of 248 comments (clear)

  1. Re:They are just thinking about doing that!?!? by Score+Whore · · Score: 0, Troll

    No intent to be rude, but you won't be missed. There are many people from many countries that will have absolutely no problem with this.

  2. Re:They are just thinking about doing that!?!? by Score+Whore · · Score: 0, Troll

    Just because you say there are many people with have no problem with this does not make it true.

    Of course you have evidence for all your claims? I mean since you feel it is a valid argument to say "Just because you say ... does not make it true", you've got supporting evidence, right?

    And in case you lacked the wisdom to read the linked documents, here's a quote for you: "From its inception on January 5, 2004 to the present, USâ"VISIT has biometrically screened more than 130 million aliens at the time they applied for admission to the United States."

    I'd say 26 million people a year qualifies as many.

    Now I'd like evidence for these claims of yours:

    1 - The US Government is "similarly totalitarian" re. Russia and China.
    2 - There will be a "considerable reduction in tourism" re. this new rule.

    Personally, I don't think you have the capability to prove either one. That is, I'm going to paraphrase you: Just because you say it, doesn't make it true.