October 19, 2004

New immigration procedures that have snagged scores of undesirables this year at airports and seaports are coming to the nation's land borders in 2005, after they're tested briefly in Laredo and two other cities, Department of Homeland Security officials said last week.

But weeks before their implementation along the Mexican and Canadian borders, the rules are being blamed for scaring off foreign visitors along the southern border and discouraging potential tourism and commerce in the interior United States.

The US-VISIT program, which requires about 3 percent of foreigners to have fingerprints and photographs taken as they come into the United States, will be launched in Laredo on a pilot basis Nov. 15 and in Douglas, Ariz., and Port Huron, Mich., officials said. It applies only to those going more than 25 miles into the United States — people who often leave large sums of money behind as they shop and conduct business.

Promising minimal delays and intrusion, officials said the procedures will comply with demands for tighter border security after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Concerns of businesses

Even so, Texas businesses are concerned that the use of biometric databases to detect foreigners on FBI and other watch lists has already intimidated visitors who routinely shop in Texas border towns.

But U.S. officials said the worries are unfounded and will ease as time passes.

The officials assured South Texas community leaders last week that few glitches have been reported by air and sea travelers who have submitted to the same checks since Jan. 1.

The new rules, mandated by Congress and endorsed by the 9/11 commission, apply to people using a visa or passport to enter the United States and who are required to fill out an "I-94" form to pass beyond the 25-mile border region.

The requirements don't apply to those who commute, sometimes several times a day, between U.S. and Mexican border cities.

But concerned groups contend everyone who crosses the border could face delays — especially around busy holidays — because of the increased scrutiny.

Fingerprints and photos

Mexicans visiting the U.S. interior currently complete the I-94 form by hand. Under the new high-tech system, immigration officials will put the same information into a computer along with fingerprint and photograph images taken from the visitors — a process said to take only 15 additional seconds. The officials then will check the inkless fingerprints against several databases and make sure the photographs match those on file.

If the visitor qualifies for entry, he or she will be issued a computer-generated I-94 card. Eventually, the cards will be equipped with radio frequency technology that will allow tracking of the card holders as they exit the United States — another congressional mandate.

After the trial run in the three pilot cities, the rules will be applied to the rest of the 50 busiest land ports of entry on Jan. 1 and to all 165 land ports by the end of 2005. Twenty-two of the busiest ports are in Texas, including four in Laredo.

More than 280 stopped

The procedures "absolutely" have proven effective already, said US-VISIT Director Jim Williams.

"To date we have processed at airports and seaports coming into the country over 10 million people. We have stopped over 280 people who are on our watch list who should not have been allowed in the country, including convicted rapists, drug traffickers and repeated immigration violators," Williams said.

Another top homeland defense official said the system is being eased into place out of respect for community concerns.

"Please be assured that we're going to be investing in infrastructure improvements, smart technology and will not launch any untested program. We realize it would be very unwise to do so as it would bring gridlock to our border. We are not about to do that," said Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Jayson Ahern.

Coordination with Mexico has been ongoing but will intensify in coming weeks as the rules take effect.

Some fears eased

The officials came to demonstrate the procedures and meet with community leaders and merchants who are concerned screening procedures will discourage visitors who aren't even subject to them. The Texas-based Alliance for Security and Trade and other groups have been working with the government to address concerns, which center on delayed and discouraged border crossings that affect trade and commerce.

"Now that we see how this system is going to work, our worst fears have been eliminated," said Laredo Mayor Betty Flores. But many weren't embracing the program yet because of horror stories circulating about legitimate visitors turned away from U.S. airports after they were mistakenly placed on a watch list.

"That type of thing reverberates throughout the community," said Laredo City Councilman John Galo.

Some Mexicans fear they'll be kept from entering because records of frequent visits will be equated with illegally working in the United States, Galo said.

Still, the nation's security is a concern along the border, said Laredo Development Foundation Director John Adams Jr.

"We're for safety and security. It's very critical to us ... but they (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) are not staffed (adequately.) We're going to need the staffing and the technology to make sure that as we put these processes in place, we can continue a steady flow of trade and investment in our community," he said.

Source : http://www.chron.com/