DHS Issues Final Rule Subjecting Lawful Permanent Residents To US-VISIT Requirements
DHS has issued a final rule that will expand the population of immigrants who will be subject to US-VISIT requirements to nearly all immigrants, including lawful permanent residents.
Charles H. Kuck, Presient of AILA, said “the sole reason permanent residents will be singled out for data collection is the fact that they are not yet United States citizens.” Without any reason to suspect wrongdoing, the U.S. Government will now collect biometric data from lawful permanent residents each time they enter the United States; privacy is now extinct. The expansion of this unproven program is premature. The proposed implementation strategy requires a far more detailed assessment of the costs of implementation and ongoing administration. The impact on the free flow of international travel and trade especially in this current time of economic upheaval has not even been assessed. This new rule will only harm the U.S. economy even more, and lead to lost productivity, competition, and jobs.
The US-VISIT program was established in 2003 to verify the identities and travel documents of visitors. US-VISIT automates this verification by comparing biometric identifiers, and by comparing biometric identifiers with information drawn from intelligence and law enforcement watch lists and databases. Visitors subject to US-VISIT may be required to provide fingerscans, photographs, or other biometric identifiers upon arrival at, or departure from, the United States. Currently, people entering the United States pursuant to a nonimmigrant visa, or those traveling without a visa as part of the Visa.
For more information:
Read this press release from AILA.org & you can find more information on the ruling at DHS
Tags: AILA, Department Of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration News, us-visit