DHS to collect biometric data from green card holders

DHS to collect biometric data from green card holders

By Gautham Nagesh 12/22/2008

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 in Friday's Federal Register, said expansion of the U.S. 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.

The decision to track permanent residents has drawn criticism from privacy advocates, especially since DHS has acknowledged that green card holders do not necessarily pose a greater threat than "nonimmigrants."

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081222_7778.php

That it's silly to worry about them changing into terrorists afterward.

Meanwhile, millions of unidentified people enter the country yearly.

Just for show and not effective in locating terrorist cells.

More likeky to help prevent identity tranfer/theft.