http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1204/122004c1.htm
December 20, 2004
"Report finds foreigners defeat border security with stolen passports"
By Chris Strohm
cstrohm@govexec.com
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Foreign travelers have entered the country using illegal passports the government knows are stolen, and the whereabouts of some with possible terrorist links remains unknown, according to a report released Monday.
"Aliens applying for admission to the United States using stolen passports have little reason to fear being caught and are usually admitted," Richard Skinner, acting inspector general of the Homeland Security Department, concluded in the report.
The report examined the use of stolen passports from 27 countries that are part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Under the program, travelers from the countries are able to enter the United States without immigrant visas. Twenty-two of the countries are in Europe. The others are Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore."
Wouldn't taking fingerprints at passport application time deter some of this passport identity theft? If the prints don't match, the entry is denied.....or is that too complicated? I realize it's not foolproof, but would certainly nail some of the attempted fraudulent entries.