The Bush administration apparently has no way of knowing whether potential terrorists have left the United States, Wired News reports. During a recent hearing of the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, lawmakers said they've had it with the Department of Homeland Security and it's lack of planning for U.S.-VISIT, the biometrics and facial identification screening program designed to track all visitors to the country. Unfortunately, the program doesn't track people on the way out of the country. The program requires fingerprints and facial screening for all visitors at U.S. airports, seaports and landborder checkpoints. According to the General Accountability Office, the program's cost are rapidly spiraling with costs totaling $2 billion, including $462 million requested in fiscal year 2008. U.S.-VISIT takes a digital photograph and two fingerprints from every non-U.S. citizen entering the United States and scans that information against government watchlists and databases.
Randy Hite, who wrote the GAO report, told Wired News that the program is like a plane flying aimlessly on autopilot with no destination. Congress has been waiting since 2005 for DHS to submit a strategic plan for U.S.-Visit that clearly details its mission. DHS says the GAO report contains outdated information from six months ago.
(Photo Credit: Department of Homeland Security)
--Catherine Hockmuth
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