Stepped-up security measures are in store for foreign travelers arriving at O’Hare, as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently began rolling out a new ID system requiring visitors to be fully fingerprinted before they can enter the country.
Under the new system, foreigners going through U.S. Customs booths at O’Hare must give digital prints of all 10 fingers and take a photo for a growing Homeland Security database on visitors to the U.S.
The system is an upgrade from the index fingerprint and photo standard that has been in place since 2003, when DHS launched the US-VISIT program to record the entry and exit of foreign travelers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday that collecting additional information will help them ensure safer and more efficient travel systemwide.
The new digital prints “help us better prevent the use of fraudulent identification, protect visitors from ID theft and stop criminals from entering our country,” said Brian Humphrey, assistant director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Chicago office. The fingerprint scan is intended for people ages 14 to 79 who apply for U.S. visas or display foreign passports at ports of entry; U.S. citizens and permanent residents do not have to be scanned to re-enter the U.S.
The fingerprint and photo information is then compared against existing FBI and DHS databases of known criminals and persons who have overstayed their visas or committed other immigration infractions.
The whole process is meant to take less than 30 seconds, and most traveling through the international gate at O’Hare, so far, have been relatively unshaken by the process.
“It’s not a big deal,” said Syed Nareen, 35, on a business trip to Chicago from Singapore. “I didn’t find it bothersome, as long as the information isn’t shared with anyone.”
But some travelers are annoyed by the procedure, complaining that the process hadn’t been streamlined.
Valerie Lau, visiting Chicago from Singapore, said the process was too slow. “The guy before me had to do it three times because they couldn’t get a print,” she said. “I’m just wondering why it’s necessary. It’s a little over the top.”
The procedure also can be erratic, according to Lau’s travel buddy, Rumy Kanga of India. Kanga said he doesn’t have any special visa waivers, but he wasn’t asked for all 10 prints.
“They only had me scan one finger on each hand,” he said, shrugging apologetically to an incredulous Lau. “I don’t know why. It’s just all they asked for.”
But even travelers surprised by the new procedures said it was a relatively small price to pay for travel.
“I didn’t mind,” said Dika Toreh, 66, who arrived from Indonesia for a six-month visit with her daughter Ferny Randz, who translated for her. “Whatever’s necessary … I just love to come to visit my daughter in America.”
O’Hare is only the fourth airport in the U.S. to receive the new scanning equipment and software, joining Washington D.C.’s Dulles airport, Boston’s Logan airport, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. DHS plans to expand the program’s reach to all points of entry across the U.S. by the end of 2008.
