The Bush administration would require commercial airlines and cruise-line operators to collect information such as fingerprints from international travelers and send the information to the Homeland Security Department soon after the travelers leave the country, according to a proposed rule.
The proposal, which will be announced Tuesday, will close a security gap identified after the 9/11 attacks and identify which visitors have overstayed their visas.
Lawmakers, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., have pressed the department to roll out its biometric exit system for more than a year.
“Any uncertainty about who is entering and leaving our country is an unacceptable risk that must be addressed,” Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement Monday.
Magnolia Tribune
