Biometric Exit Test Facility to Start Operation This Spring
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A mock airport facility where U.S Customs and Border Protection plans to test devices to record biometric data from travelers exiting the country is due to open in April.
At the facility in Landover, Md., CBP will test a variety of biometric devices and narrow them down to the two top performers, said Colleen Manaher, who heads the agency’s Entry/Exit Transformation Office. Manaher described the plans in a speech earlier this month at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.
According to Fierce Homeland Security the top two solutions will then be tested in an actual airport while CBP seeks outside input from “actors and travelers” who will try the possible systems at the Landover facility, Manaher said.
iHLS – Israel Homeland Security
CBP will be responsible for implementing the technology if it ever comes to fruition. Congress first called for an exit-entry tracking system in 1996, but producing a biometric exit feature has been a logistical headache ever since.
Knowing who has exited the country would help CBP and ICE determine which immigrants have overstayed their visas. But the cost of blanketing all land, air and sea exit points with biometric scanners – and CBP officers to staff them – would be enormous. CBP plans to phase in the biometric exit system through a targeted approach focused initially on high-risk areas.
To be feasible, technology will need to collect biometrics within three seconds, Manaher said.
