June 15, 2009
On May 28, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that as part of US-VISIT, it would begin collecting digital fingerprints from all foreign nationals departing the U.S. out of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
All non-U.S. citizens (including Lawful Permanent Residents) will have their biometrics collected prior to boarding their departing flights. In Detroit, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will collect the digital fingerprints at the boarding gate, and in Atlanta, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers will collect digital fingerprints at security checkpoints. These programs are scheduled to run through early July.
US-VISIT is part of DHS and provides biometric identification services to federal, state and local government agencies. The biometrics collection is intended to help DHS record the date of foreign nationals' departure from the U.S., prevent criminals and immigration violators from entering the U.S., prevent the use of fraudulent documents, and protect foreign nationals from identity theft.
