Posted on 12/15/2006 10:20:38 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Homeland Security officials believe it will take five to 10 years to develop the technology needed to implement the exit portion of a border security plan without major disruptions, according to congressional investigators.
In a report released Thursday, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the entry portion of the Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology program, known as US-VISIT, has been installed at most of the nation's land borders with minimal disruption.
The entry portion of the program includes biometric features such as digital scans of fingerprints to identify foreign visitors to the U.S. Congress required the program following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to keep terrorists from entering the country.
However, the congressional mandate for a similar biometric exit program has not fared as well. The GAO, Congress' auditing arm, found that implementing a biometrically based exit system similar to the entry system "would require new infrastructure, and would produce major traffic congestion because travelers would have to stop their vehicles upon exit to be processed — an option officials consider unacceptable."
The New York Times reported Friday that officials had given up on plans to develop a facial or fingerprint system for tracking the exits of foreign visitors.
Homeland Security Department spokesman Jarrod Agen said the agency has been testing an exit program using radio frequency identification technology rather than biometrics. He said the department is evaluating the results of the RFID testing, including an economic analysis, to see if it would be feasible as an interim measure.
However, the GAO report found that there were performance and reliability problems with the RFID technology, in addition to the failure to meet the congressional mandate to use biometrics.
A more fundamental problem was that "the RFID tag in the visitor's arrival/departure form cannot be physically tied to an individual, which means that while a document may be detected as leaving the country, the person to whom it was issued at time of entry may be somewhere else," the report said.
If the technology is a problem, use bricks.
10 years... that's about average for bureaurcrats to get things done.
PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2006 A group of illegal aliens wait on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande river, after floating across in a tire tube, in Laredo, Texas May 2, 2006. U.S. Border Patrol agents intercepted the group and they eventually went back to Mexico. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES)
There are commercially available fingerprint scanners available now. The bare minimum is to fingerprint and take a picture of someone entering the country along with recording their passport/visa information and then check the information when they leave including making sure the fingerprint matchs. This isn't rocket science. I suspect some major bureaucratic heel dragging on this issue. I would like to know why.
Thanks for the link!
I guess it's not a priority. And also, so much for the 'they will follow us here' mantra about Iraq. If we are that concerned about it, the border would be sealed.
That'll take too long, so let's not start.
Simple.....they are only interested in getting foreigners in.....NOT out.
If the technology is a problem, use Marines.
The following is from a letter to The Major General Commandant, Headquarters U.S, Marine Corps, from the Office of the Postamaster General, dated February 15, 1922, which states in part...]
"My dear General:
It gives me extreme pleasure at this time to submit to you this letter of commendation of the marines who have been performing, during the past three months, the duty of protecting United States mail in railway terminals, post offices, railroad junctions and federal reserve centers. The protection of the mails has been splendidly effective through the loyalty, cooperation, bravery and fearless manner in which the marines have handled the situation in general.
For the twelve months ending with April 9, 1921, there have been thirty-six major mail robberies, with a loss of $6,300,000 stolen from the mail. In April 9 an order went out to the postal service to arm all outside postal employees and through the cooperation of the War Department, guns and ammunition were placed at the disposal of the Post Office department....from April 9, 1921 to October 9, 1921, there had been a total stolen of something like $300,000. In this effort postal employees were injured and killed and some robbers were slain, but the followed a series of robberies and depradations at points at which the Post Office Department had not as yet been able to eqip fully and with which it was unable to cope.
Therefore on November 8, 1921, the Postmaster General submitted a request to the Secretary of the Navy for the use of marines to take over this arduous and difficult duty. This request was immediately complied with and a force of Marines,,,,were dispatched by the U.S. Marine Corps instantly, in the characteristic of Marine Corps efficiency. These marines were detailed to ride on mail trucks, and on trains...at outlying points...post offices and stations where special protection was vita. They have performed their arduous and difficult duty in a most excellent manner and they have my most earnest praise and appreciation for their invaluable service to the public...
Therefore, I desire to express my personal appreciation to the officers of the Marine Corps connected with this work of guarding United States mail, as well as to the Marine Corps and the Navy Department, for the responsive, expeditious and effective manner of carrying out these duries.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Acting Postmaster General"
This is a great case of (1) not wanting to do a damn thing, (2) our government at work. (3) seriously not giving a sh*t.
This country will be seriously screwed by the time these clowns get around to doing anything.
ohhhhh...but the Federal Reserve has already created a plan for illegals to HELP send money home to Mexico.
Thanks, Bush & Bernanke! You guys are doing a hell-of-a-job!
New Federal Reserve Program Helps Illegals Send Money to Mexico
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1753968/posts
ping
Yup, they're moving right along;
When the decision was made to reach the moon in the sixties it was accomplished in quicker time. The fact is this government has no desire to fix the problem.
In the mean time we'll take care of the illegals who are here with the amnesty plan in the works by this next summer...
So a wall will not really matter...And will pretty much be a waste of time and money (something the government excels at)...
Habla espanol???
Si!
5-10 years to close the barn door. Mexico will be empty some time around then. We've already got 1/3 of the place here.
ping
And by then the SPP and the North American Community Plan (start reading on page 23) will be sufficiently advanced that this won't make a difference or even be needed.
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