WASHINGTON – The government’s system for ensuring that foreign visitors leave the country when expected will be expanded to 11 more airports – including Seattle-Tacoma International- and two California seaports, a Homeland Security Department official said Tuesday.
All foreign visitors who travel with a visa are fingerprinted and photographed, through the US-VISIT program, when they arrive at major U.S. airports and seaports. The fingerprints and photos are automatically checked against databases to ensure that documents are legitimate and the visitor’s name does not appear on terrorist or law enforcement watch lists.
Tracking the departure dates of foreign visitors has been a problem. An estimated 35 percent to 40 percent of undocumented immigrants have overstayed their visas, Homeland Security spokesman Bill Strassberger said.
The government has been testing an electronic exit system at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Miami International Cruise Line Terminal. Visitors check out at kiosks, which electronically read documents, take fingerprints and a digital photo, and spit out a receipt verifying that the foreigner has checked out. Or, they can go through the same process with a US-VISIT staffer at departure gates.
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