Homeland Security Scraps Post-9/11 Reg. Program, Will Introduce New System

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=8040F77A-B8FA-444F-B76D93D51197D533
Homeland Security Scraps Post-9/11 Registration Program, Will Introduce New System

VOA News
02 Dec 2003, 18:11 UTC

 
U.S. immigration officials say they are suspending a controversial program requiring young men from 25 mainly Middle Eastern countries to register annually while in the United States.

Critics had accused the government of unfairly targeting thousands of people on grounds of nationality and called the program intrusive.

Nearly 14,000 people with suspected immigration violations were identified through the program. Nearly 3,000 were detained, but only 23 remain in custody.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is set to replace the controversial tracking program in January with a larger system that will monitor the arrival and departure of most travelers to the United States.

Under the new program, known as U.S.-VISIT, millions of people who visit each year on tourist, business and student visas will be digitally photographed and fingerprinted.

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