WASHINGTON, May 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is teaming up with the airline industry to screen all exiting international visitors prior to their flight.
DHS announced the end of a three-year pilot phase to test biometric exit procedures at 14 international airports in the United States. Plans are now under way to implement the procedures as part of the formal departure process for international visitors leaving the country, according to a DHS statement Friday.
Through the pilot program, DHS confirmed that the biometric technology works well but also discovered that there was a low level of traveler compliance.
DHS spokesperson Anna Hinken explained that requiring a traveler to pass through a US-VISIT exit kiosk as a step separate from the rest of the check-in process added complication. "By involving the airline industry in the exit procedures we hope to get more travelers to comply," said Hinken.
International visitors are currently required to pass through a US-VISIT exit kiosk where an automated device collects a digital fingerprint and photo in addition to scanning the visitor's travel documents.
The new procedures, which are currently being formulated by DHS and the airline industry representatives, would likely require airline personnel to collect this data as a step of checking in for a flight.
By making the biometric scan part of the standard process for leaving the United States from all international airports, DHS said it hopes to "minimize the effect on visitors and to ensure seamless biometric collection regardless of the visitor's departure point."
The DHS spokesperson said that the department is "aggressively working" to implement the new procedures in all U.S. airports with international departures by the end of 2008 or early in 2009.
