DHS requires New Fingerprints at Airports Exits for Non-Citizens

[rick92]

RE: Big Brother

The morons in this admin are slowly chipping away at the constitutional rights of all people living in the US. They have made a mockery of what the Bill of rights used to be about. It is very sad when the founding fathers are insulted in new and stupid ways all in the name of patriotism. What a joke!

Some human beings think that they own it all. They are in for a big surprise at the end of their lives.-

 

[Jackolantern]

The Department of Homeland Security awarded Accenture a contract -- estimated to total $15 billion -- for US-Visit, a program for "virtual borders" tracking entries and exits of all visitors to the United States.

Like I said, a way to make money for Bush's friends, while being able to pretend they're doing something for national security.

 

[rick92]

RE: Understanding Security Checks

Understanding the Immigration Security Process
Homeland Security fact sheet explains security checks for immigration benefit applicants

An explanation of the immigration security check system was issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services April 25 in response to some applicant frustration about delays in the process.

All applicants for a U.S. immigration benefit are subject to criminal and national security background checks to ensure they are eligible for that benefit. The agency acknowledges a small number of delays, but assures the public they are not based on race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.

For related information, see Visas, Passports and Immigration.

The text of the fact sheet follows:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Fact Sheet
April 25, 2006

Immigration Security Checks—How and Why the Process Works

Background

All applicants for a U.S. immigration benefit are subject to criminal and national security background checks to ensure they are eligible for that benefit. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Federal agency that oversees immigration benefits, performs checks on every applicant, regardless of ethnicity, national origin or religion.

Since 2002, USCIS has increased the number and scope of relevant background checks, processing millions of security checks without incident. However, in some cases, USCIS customers and immigrant advocates have expressed frustration over delays in processing applications, noting that individual customers have waited a year or longer for the completion of their adjudication pending the outcome of security checks. While the percentage of applicants who find their cases delayed by pending background checks is relatively small, USCIS recognizes that for those affected individuals, the additional delay and uncertainty can cause great anxiety. Although USCIS cannot guarantee the prompt resolution of every case, we can assure the public that applicants are not singled out based on race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.

USCIS strives to balance the need for timely, fair and accurate service with the need to ensure a high level of integrity in the decision-making process. This fact sheet outlines the framework of the immigration security check process, explaining its necessity, as well as factors contributing to delays in resolving pending cases.

Why USCIS Conducts Security Checks

USCIS conducts security checks for all cases involving a petition or application for an immigration service or benefit. This is done both to enhance national security and ensure the integrity of the immigration process. USCIS is responsible for ensuring that our immigration system is not used as a vehicle to harm our nation or its citizens by screening out people who seek immigration benefits improperly or fraudulently. These security checks have yielded information about applicants involved in violent crimes, sex crimes, crimes against children, drug trafficking and individuals with known links to terrorism. These investigations require time, resources, and patience and USCIS recognizes that the process is slower for some customers than they would like. Because of that, USCIS is working closely with the FBI and other agencies to speed the background check process. However, USCIS will never grant an immigration service or benefit before the required security checks are completed regardless of how long those checks take.

How Immigration Security Checks Work

To ensure that immigration benefits are given only to eligible applicants, USCIS adopted background security check procedures that address a wide range of possible risk factors. Different kinds of applications undergo different levels of scrutiny. USCIS normally uses the following three background check mechanisms but maintains the authority to conduct other background investigations as necessary:

• The Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS) Name Check— IBIS is a multi-agency effort with a central system that combines information from multiple agencies, databases and system interfaces to compile data relating to national security risks, public safety issues and other law enforcement concerns. USCIS can quickly check information from these multiple government agencies to determine if the information in the system affects the adjudication of the case. Results of an IBIS check are usually available immediately. In some cases, information found during an IBIS check will require further investigation. The IBIS check is not deemed completed until all eligibility issues arising from the initial system response are resolved.

• FBI Fingerprint Check—FBI fingerprint checks are conducted for many applications. The FBI fingerprint check provides information relating to criminal background within the United States. Generally, the FBI forwards responses to USCIS within 24-48 hours. If there is a record match, the FBI forwards an electronic copy of the criminal history (RAP sheet) to USCIS. At that point, a USCIS adjudicator reviews the information to determine what effect it may have on eligibility for the benefit. Although the vast majority of inquiries yield no record or match, about 10 percent do uncover criminal history (including immigration violations). In cases involving arrests or charges without disposition, USCIS requires the applicant to provide court certified evidence of the disposition. Customers with prior arrests should provide complete information and certified disposition records at the time of filing to avoid adjudication delays or denial resulting from misrepresentation about criminal history. Even expunged or vacated convictions must be reported for immigration purposes.

• FBI Name Checks—FBI name checks are also required for many applications. The FBI name check is totally different from the FBI fingerprint check. The records maintained in the FBI name check process consist of administrative, applicant, criminal, personnel and other files compiled by law enforcement. Initial responses to this check generally take about two weeks. In about 80 percent of the cases, no match is found. Of the remaining 20 percent, most are resolved within six months. Less than one percent of cases subject to an FBI name check remain pending longer than six months. Some of these cases involve complex, highly sensitive information and cannot be resolved quickly. Even after FBI has provided an initial response to USCIS concerning a match, the name check is not complete until full information is obtained and eligibility issues arising from it are resolved.

For most applicants, the process outlined above allows USCIS to quickly determine if there are criminal or security related issues in the applicant’s background that affect eligibility for immigration benefits. Most cases proceed forward without incident. However, due to both the sheer volume of security checks USCIS conducts, and the need to ensure that each applicant is thoroughly screened, some delays on individual applications are inevitable. Background checks may still be considered pending when either the FBI or relevant agency has not provided the final response to the background check or when the FBI or agency has provided a response, but the response requires further investigation or review by the agency or USCIS. Resolving pending cases is time-consuming and labor-intensive; some cases legitimately take months or even several years to resolve. Every USCIS District Office performs regular reviews of the pending caseload to determine when cases have cleared and are ready to be decided. USCIS does not share information about the records match or the nature or status of any investigation with applicants or their representatives.

Created: 03 May 2006 Updated: 03 May 2006
http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2006/May/04-878088.html

 

[rick92]

DHS Announces Checkpoint Evolution prototype.-

DHS Announces New Aviation Security and Traveler Screening Enhancements
Release Date: April 28, 2008

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

April 28, 2008 (Baltimore, Md.) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today improvements aimed at strengthening aviation security while decreasing the hassle factor for travelers. Among the key improvements, DHS is providing airlines more flexibility to allow passengers to check in remotely who have been unable to do so because they have a name similar to someone on a watch list. The department also unveiled the Checkpoint Evolution prototype, which begins full operation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) today.

Each airline will now be able to create a system to verify and securely store a passenger’s date of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications. By voluntarily providing this limited biographical data to an airline and verifying that information once at the ticket counter, travelers that were previously inconvenienced on every trip will now be able to check-in online or at remote kiosks.

“Hassles due to misidentification and the resulting necessity to stand in line to check in at the ticket counter is consistently among the deepest – and most valid – complaints of the traveling public,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “Thousands of passengers are inconvenienced each day, and this change should provide a way to eliminate the vast majority of these situations. This is good for travelers and for security, because as we make the checkpoint environment calmer, it becomes easier to spot individuals with hostile intent.”

Additionally, DHS is providing greater clarity on the types of identification that will be accepted at checkpoints in the U.S. Beginning May 26, 2008, federal or state-issued photo ID will be accepted if it contains: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature. Standardizing the list of accepted documents better aligns TSA with other DHS components and REAL ID benchmarks. More information on acceptable documents is available at www.tsa.gov.

These innovations, along with the new Checkpoint Evolution prototype, are part of a broader effort to calm the checkpoint. The BWI prototype includes Millimeter Wave technology used in random continuous use, multi-view X-ray and liquid bottle scanners. These technologies, in conjunction with changes to the checkpoint environment and processes, will be evaluated for operational efficiency over the coming months.

Transportation Security Officers and managers at BWI are the first in the country to complete a 16-hour training module designed to incorporate the latest intelligence analysis, more advanced explosives detection skills, and ways to engage with passengers to promote a calmer environment for better security. The training was developed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Office of Intelligence, Bomb Appraisal Officers, and TSA Checkpoint Evolution team.

Checkpoint Evolution is located at B Checkpoint, Southwest Terminal at BWI. The layered security elements are both modular and flexible and designed to work individually, as well as part of an integrated package.

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1209396910434.shtm

 

[rick92]

In Kentucky Hills, a Homeland Security Bonanza


By ERIC LIPTON
Published: May 14, 2006

WASHINGTON, May 13 — The Department of Homeland Security has invested tens of millions of dollars and countless hours of labor over the last four years on a seemingly simple task: creating a tamperproof identification card for airport, rail and maritime workers.

Doug Mills/The New York Times
Harold Rogers

Yet nearly two years past a planned deadline, production of the card, known as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, has yet to begin.

Instead, the road to delivering this critical antiterrorism tool has taken detours to locations, companies and groups often linked to Representative Harold Rogers, a Kentucky Republican who is the powerful chairman of the House subcommittee that controls the Homeland Security budget.

It is a route that has benefited Mr. Rogers, creating jobs in his home district and profits for companies that are donors to his political causes. The congressman has also taken 11 trips — including six to Hawaii — on the tab of an organization that until this week was to profit from a no-bid contract Mr. Rogers helped arrange. Work has even been set aside for a tiny start-up company in Kentucky that employs John Rogers, the congressman's son.

"Something stinks in Corbin," said Jay M. Meier, senior securities analyst at MJSK Equity Research in Minneapolis, which follows the identification card industry, referring to the Kentucky community of 8,000 that has perhaps benefited the most from Mr. Rogers's interventions. "And it is the sickest example of what is wrong with our homeland security agenda that I can find."

Mr. Rogers said that any mandates imposed on the TWIC program, as it is commonly called, have been motivated by a desire to end the delays.

"I have been extremely frustrated with the slow, wandering pace of the program," he said in a statement. He declined to comment beyond the statement, which was issued Thursday.

Asked about the legislative mandates and the delays in starting up the program, Darrin Kayser, a Homeland Security spokesman, said, "We are not going to get into finger-pointing back and forth." He added, quoting the department secretary, Michael Chertoff, "This is an initiative which languished for too long."

Mr. Rogers, 68, whom The Lexington Herald-Leader last year called the Prince of Pork, has never been shy about using clout gained over 13 House terms to steer federal dollars to his sparsely populated, poor corner of southeastern Kentucky.

"We see Hal pretty often," Mayor Amos Miller of Corbin, a Republican, said in an interview. "And he always brings good news."

Corbin was settled as a railroad depot for nearby coal mines, and its first claim to fame came with Col. Harland Sanders, who began serving up dishes of fried chicken there in the 1930's. Mr. Rogers has made it a mission to create a new growth industry: domestic security.

"Our people will be on the front lines in the war against terrorism worldwide," Mr. Rogers told Corbin leaders in 2003, as he announced plans to build a plant for NucSafe, a radiation detection equipment company.

Mr. Rogers began his push even before the 2001 terrorist attacks, when he was elevated, in 1995, just after Republicans took control of Congress, to the so-called College of Cardinals, the elite body of chairmen of House appropriations subcommittees that help control the federal budget.

The Clinton administration needed Congressional backing — and money — to fix problems it was having in printing a new fraud-resistant green card for permanent legal immigrants. To win Mr. Rogers's endorsement, administration officials offered to set up the centralized card production plant in Corbin.

"It clearly was a convergence of interests," said Doris Meissner, then commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which has since been renamed and merged into Homeland Security. The $5.2 million plant, run by contract employees, opened in 1998.

The transportation worker identification card, first proposed in 2002, would be an identity card equivalent of a maximum security prison. Not only would it be tamperproof, it would eventually allow transportation workers to be positively identified by a fingerprint in less than half a second. To ensure security, the card and the automated reader at the port entrance gate would have to communicate, like two small computers.

But within months after the plans for the card were announced, Mr. Rogers started to intervene. He inserted language into appropriations bills that effectively pushed the government to use the same patented green card technology and to produce this new card in Corbin.

The committee does not want T.S.A. to develop new technologies if existing ones, already developed by other federal agencies, are good enough," a 2002 Appropriations Committee report, signed by Mr. Rogers, said, referring to the Transportation Security Administration.

Language added in 2003, again in a report submitted in Mr. Rogers's name, urged the agency to use "existing government card issuance centers" to make the card, which Homeland Security officials said, in their view, referred to Corbin. The law blocked spending until the department bowed to the mandates.

Two former Homeland Security officials said they were confounded. They had already identified a more flexible and secure technology known as a smart card, which relies on tiny computer chips embedded into the identification card. Most other federal agencies were moving toward this approach rather than the technology used for the green card, in which data are recorded on a reflective optical stripe affixed to the card.

"It would be like saying it would be quicker to take a bicycle instead of a Toyota Corolla," said one former Homeland Security official, granted anonymity because he now works for an organization that does not permit him to speak about the matter.

Officials there said they had no choice but to follow the orders. So in 2003, at a cost of $4 million, the department hired a contractor to study both alternatives. The study concluded that the smart card approach was far superior.

The delay while the study was conducted benefited Corbin somewhat. Maximus, the Virginia-based company hired to do the test, shared its business with three companies with operations in Corbin. (These companies helped test the optical stripe approach used for the green card.)

"It was stupid and a pain to coordinate," said one former Maximus official, who was granted anonymity because his current job did not permit him to speak about a previous employer. "But it was a prudent thing to do for the purpose of trying to capture the business."

Kentucky companies turned up in each phase of the early tests of the identification cards.

One of the companies, Senture, which sells call-center services, had a particularly close relationship with Mr. Rogers. Senture had just opened its doors in May 2003, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that Mr. Rogers attended. In 2004, Mr. Rogers arranged the financing for a $4 million Homeland Security contract for Senture to field calls from truckers.

Now, Senture would land even more department work, as BearingPoint, a Virginia company hired in 2004 to test prototype transportation worker cards, selected Senture to set up a call center for the test. About the time that contract was first advertised, but before it was awarded, John Rogers, the congressman's son, was hired by Senture as a computer systems administrator.

"It has nothing to do with who my father is," John Rogers said in a telephone interview. "It has everything to do with my qualifications." He said he had worked in data management and technology for 13 years.

Officials at Senture did not respond to requests for comment. Since 2004, they have contributed at least $12,000 to Mr. Rogers and his political action committee.

Executives at LaserCard Systems, Maximus, Shenandoah Electronic Intelligence and a lobbying firm that represents BearingPoint have also since contributed at least $30,000, with their spouses, to Mr. Rogers's political causes, federal records show. All four companies either sold services through Homeland Security for work done at the identity card plant in Corbin or won contracts to test the identification card.

In all, about $100,000 in contributions have come to Mr. Rogers from parties with at least some ties to the identification card effort, records show.

When tests on a smart card prototype identification card finally got under way in November 2004, the program again ran into an obstacle.

To try to speed up the work, contractors decided initially to produce the prototype cards in Pennsylvania. But Homeland Security required that the work be moved, because to comply with the Congressional mandate, it had been written into BearingPoint's contract that the card production take place in Corbin, Mr. Kayser, the Homeland Security spokesman, said.

One former Homeland Security official said that the demand, given that the card production had already started, made little sense: only about 5,000 cards would be printed as part of the test. But still, the smart card printing equipment was picked up and sent to Corbin, adding to the expense and causing another delay.

Interventions by Mr. Rogers were far from the only reason for delays. Homeland Security repeatedly revised plans for the identification card, related to matters like the method for collecting and storing personal information.

Yet while the debate over card technology and printing dragged on, a separate fight involving Mr. Rogers was playing out. Starting in 2004, his staff repeatedly pressed the Transportation Security Administration to hire a nonprofit Virginia-based trade association, the American Association of Airport Executives, to help handle background checks that transportation workers had to undergo to get identification cards. The trade association had no connection to Corbin, but it had longstanding ties to Mr. Rogers.

Since 2000, it has paid for trips by Mr. Rogers and his wife worth more than $75,000, including the six visits to Hawaii, four to California and one to Ireland, financial disclosure records show. Last year alone, Mr. Rogers spent a total of two weeks traveling on the association's tab.

Mr. Rogers was one of many members of Congress to take these airport association financed trips, which coincided with industry conferences. But they earned him a ranking as seventh of the 535 members of Congress in terms of travel gifts accepted, in a tally examining the past five years by Political Money Line.

The aviation group also was a longstanding campaign donor, having contributed, through its executives and political action committee, at least $18,000 to Mr. Rogers over the last four years. In 2002, it gave Mr. Rogers its Congressional Leadership Award.

Mr. Rogers, after his staff was unable to persuade Homeland Security officials to hire the trade association voluntarily for the identification card program, inserted language last May into the 2006 appropriations bill that mandated such a move. It was necessary, Mr. Rogers said at the time, because the airport group also helped handle background checks for airport workers. It made no sense, he said, to hire yet another contractor.

"Doing so increases both the cost to the federal government and the time it takes to begin conducting background checks," Mr. Rogers's staff wrote in a House committee report explaining the insertion of the mandate.

Late last year, while Congress was considering the specific allocation for the airport group, the trade association's executives went shopping for investors willing to put up as much as $25 million to share in the new for-profit venture they decided to create to capitalize on the deal.

Government oversight groups questioned the effort to sell benefits gained from the special treatment by Congress. "This is really a perversion of every part of the contracting process," said Danielle Brian, executive director for the Project on Government Oversight, a contract watchdog group.

Charles M. Barclay, the executive director of the airport group, and two other senior executives did not respond to e-mail and phone messages requesting comment.

The company ultimately selected to serve as that investor and as a partner, Daon, was also familiar to Mr. Rogers. It had sponsored, along with the airport executives group, a July 2005 conference and golf outing that the congressman attended in Dublin, where Daon is based.

Daon, a biometrics software company with offices in Reston, Va., is well connected in Washington; Tom Ridge, the former homeland security secretary, serves on its board. Tom Grissen, Daon's chief executive, would not say in an interview how much Daon invested in the airport trade group partnership. He said that Mr. Ridge played no role in the effort.

The airport executives and Daon, as planned, set up their for-profit venture, incorporating it in March to prepare for the promised work. But the provision that Mr. Rogers inserted into the legislation ultimately backfired.

After Homeland Security moved this spring to comply with Mr. Rogers's legislative mandate and hire the airport trade group, executives in the intensely competitive biometrics industry protested. "It is a sleazy arrangement," said Walter Hamilton, chairman of the International Biometric Industry Association.

Finally, last Thursday evening, as lobbyists for Daon's rivals pressed Congress to rescind the deal, Homeland Security, and Mr. Rogers, issued separate statements, reversing course. The no-bid contract for the airport executives would be killed. This would mean another delay, because the advertisement for the bidding would have to start over again.

Mr. Rogers, in his statement, did not admit defeat and instead praised a contracting approach he had tried for the past year to block.

"One contractor will ultimately have responsibility for the entire process, and one contractor alone will be answering to Congress on their progress or lack thereof," he said.

No one has moved to reverse the Congressional directive mandating where the cards are produced. So when the identification cards do start to roll off the production line — which Homeland Security officials say they hope will happen by early next year — the plan still calls for them to be made in the town that Kentucky Fried Chicken first made famous

 

[rick92]

RE: US Visit Contractors

About Accenture
Technology Labs

Accenture Technology Labs, the
dedicated technology research and
development (R&D) organization
within Accenture, has been turning
technology innovation into business
results for almost 20 years. The Labs
create a vision of how technology
will shape the future and invent the
next wave of cutting-edge business
solutions. Working closely with
Accenture's global network of
specialists, Accenture Technology
Labs helps clients innovate to achieve
high business performance. The Labs
are located in Chicago, Illinois; Palo
Alto, California; and Sophia Antipolis,
France. For more information,
please visit our website at
www.accenture.com/accenturetechlabs.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management
consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company. Committed
to delivering innovation, Accenture
collaborates with its clients to help
them become high-performance
businesses and governments. With
deep industry and business process
expertise, broad global resources and
a proven track record, Accenture can
mobilize the right people, skills, and
technologies to help clients improve
their performance. With more than
100,000 people in 48 countries, the
company generated net revenues of
US$13.67 billion for the fiscal year
ended Aug. 31, 2004. Its home page
is www.accenture.com.

 

[rick92]

RE: Records Digitization Facility

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on August 17, 2006, that it has established a new Records Digitization Facility (RDF) in Williamsburg, Kentucky, to digitize more than one million USCIS alien files (A-files). USCIS said it plans to use the digitized files "to begin the transformation of its business processes." Congress has provided funding for the digitization of approximately one million files per year. There are approximately 70 million immigration records.

USCIS said the digitized A-files can be made available to multiple users at the same time, and can be made available immediately without shipping or handling. The agency noted that the ability to make the files available to multiple users simultaneously is valuable especially when files are needed "for law enforcement or national security reasons."

The multi-year contract to support the digitization effort has been awarded to Datatrac Information Services, Inc., which will operate the facility and provide document scanning, physical and electronic records management, metadata capture, and data transmission into the USCIS document management system.

The announcement is available at http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/Digitizn081706PR.pdf.

 

[MartinAub]

Hmm,

sounds like "Identity Theft Made Easy" or "Stupid 101".
A national database in the hand of a private firm? Oh boy!

Guys, keep checking your bank records and credit ratings.

 

[rick92]

RE: Datatrac = CSC = Govt

Hmm,

sounds like "Identity Theft Made Easy" or "Stupid 101".
A national database in the hand of a private firm? Oh boy!

Guys, keep checking your bank records and credit ratings.

The company in charge called DATATRAC was acquired by CSC which on year ending March 30, 2007, Revenue was $14.9 billion. NYSE Stock Name: CSC

Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
3170 Fairview Park Drive
Falls Church, VA 22042
USA
(+1) 703.876.1000
generalinformation@csc.com

 

[MartinAub]

Right next to the VA rabbit farm

 

[rick92]

RE: All GOVT

Right next to the VA rabbit farm

When you work for these companies, depending on position one makes many times more money than working for US Govt.- But then again, which one is the govt

 

[rick92]

Re: Portpass = Sentri, Oars, Inspass, Rvis

PORTPASS (Port Passenger Accelerated Service System)



PORTPASS (Port Passenger Accelerated Service System) is a generic term for programs developed to expedite passage through U.S. national entry systems. PORTPASS components include the INSPASS (Immigration and Naturalization Service Passenger Accelerated Service System), SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection), OARS (Outlying Area Reporting Station), and RVIS (Remote Video Inspection System) systems. The general goal of PORTPASS programs is to identify preapproved low-risk international travelers and allow inspectors additional time to focus on high-risk entrants.

As with other automated entry systems, PORTPASS databases utilize a "one-to-one" search protocol to verify identity. Instead of comparing gathered biometrics or vehicle identification data across a broad database, an identification number allows direct comparison with the data assigned to a PORTPASS identification number.

INSPASS is used at selected airports to facilitate passage through entry checkpoints. INSPASS systems utilize hand geometry biometrics that include measurements of hand length, thickness and translucency.

SENTRI is used at selected border crossings to facilitate quick passage through entry inspection checkpoints. SENTRI programs screen participants and their vehicles against information already gathered in the program database. SENTRI utilizes digital license plate readers and camera scans that allow inspectors to validate both the identity of the vehicle and the identity of the occupants of the vehicle against digitized photographs of approved participants in the SENTRI database and other law enforcement databases.

OARS was developed as a counterpart to the Canadian Border Boat Landing Program (I-68 program) that allows registered participants facilitated entry to U.S. waters for recreational purposes through a self-reporting system located at fueling docks, boating marinas, and state parks.

RVIS is a PORTPASS program in use along the U.S. border with Canada. Using video surveillance, inspectors can remotely monitor border crossings. Inspectors can verify registered RVIS participants and alert enforcement authorities in the event of an unauthorized border crossing. Automated systems are also backed with a video inspection system so that, if the identification systems fail to provide a positive match to approved database information, inspectors located offsite can still interview the prospective entrant.

As of March 1, 2003, the newly created United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) absorbed the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). All INS border patrol agents and investigators—along with agents from the U.S. Customs Service and Transportation Security Administration—were placed under the direction of the DHS Directorate of Border and Transportation Security (BTS). Responsibility for U.S. border security and the enforcement of immigration laws was transferred to BTS.

BTS is also scheduled to incorporate the United States Customs Service (previously part of the Department of Treasury). Former INS immigration service functions are scheduled to be placed under the direction of the DHS Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Under the reorganization, the INS formally ceases to exist on the date the last of its functions are transferred.

Although the technologies involved in PORTPASS entry security programs remain viable, in an effort to facilitate border security, BTS plans currently envision higher levels of coordination between formerly separate agencies and databases. As of April 2003, the specific coordination and future of PORTPASS programs was uncertain with regard to potential name changes, program administration, and policy changes

 

[TheRealCanadian]

Thanks for posting lots of old articles and some regurgitated conspiracy theories. Again, I'll believe this when I see it. Contracts are one thing, implementation is another.

 

[rick92]

RE: Fully Operational Systems

Thanks for posting lots of old articles and some regurgitated conspiracy theories. Again, I'll believe this when I see it. Contracts are one thing, implementation is another.

All these systems are fully operational:

SENTRY: US - Canada Border = Fully Operational
RVIS: US - Canada Border = Fully Operational
OARS: Fully Operational
INSPASS: Scraped


OARS

Any port or place within the U.S., including, for purposes of this section, the U.S. Virgin Islands, of any vessel from a foreign port or place, any foreign vessel from a port or place within the U.S., or any vessel of the US carrying foreign merchandise.

The OARS program uses videophones, typically located at public marinas, which boaters may use to report to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. The system is comprised of an AutoDial telephone, a video transceiver, a monitor, a facial camera and a document camera. To operate the system, the traveler either picks up the handset or pushes the call button. This system allows both the traveler and the officer to view one another as the inspection is taking place. Typically, OARS reporting satisfies the in-person inspection requirement, but a CBP Officer may direct a boater to report to a port-of-entry or designated location for an in-person inspection.
Q: Where is OARS located?
A: MAINE
Dickinson’s Marina, Orient ME
MICHIGAN
Mackinac Island, MI

MINNESOTA
Jim’s Corner , Northwest Angle, MN; Carlson’s Marina, Northwest Angle, MN
Young’s Bay, Northwest Angle, MN; Bohman’s Landing, International Falls, MN

NEW YORK
Waddington Town Dock, Waddington, NY
Edwin Dobinsky Bldg, Ogdensburg, NY; Morristown Public Dock, Morristown, NY
Alexandria Bay, NY; Clayton Public Dock, Clayton, NY
Sacket's Harbor Navy Pt Marina, Sacket's Harbor, NY; Oswego Marina, Oswego, NY
Pier Point East Marina, Sodus Point, NY; Shumway Marina, Rochester, NY
Orleans County Marine Park, Point Breeze, NY; Olcott Beach Public Dock, Olcott, NY
Wilson Tuscarora State Park, Wilson, NY; Youngstown Yacht Club, Youngstown, NY
Pinochle Park, Tonawanda, NY; Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, NY; Dunkirk, NY

OHIO
Cedar Point Marina, Sandusky, OH; Brand's Marina, Port Clinton, OH
East 55th St, Cleveland, OH; Grand River Marina, Fairport Harbor, OH
Chagrin Lagoon Yacht club, Eastlake, OH; Mentor Lagoon Marina, Mentor, OH
Ashtabula Public Dock, Ashtabula, OH

PENNSYLVANIA:
Lampe Marina, Erie, PA; Dobbin's Landing, Erie, PA
Perry's Landing Marina, Erie, PA; Presque Isle Marina, Erie, PA


VERMONT
Newport City Dock Marina, Newport, VT

 

[rick92]

Re: New Entry System For US Citizens & Lpr's

Accepting applications after May 12th 2008

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/global_entry/


The Global EntryTM is a new pilot program managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection which allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States. Participants will enter the United States by utilizing automated kiosks located, first at Terminal 4 - John F. Kennedy International Airport, Washington-Dulles International Airport, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The process will require participants to present their machine-readable U.S. passport or permanent residency card, submit their fingerprints for biometric verification, and make a customs declaration at the kiosk’s touch-screen. Upon successful completion of the Global EntryTM process at the kiosk, the traveler will be issued a transaction receipt and directed to baggage claim and the exit, unless chosen for a selective or random secondary referral.


Q: What is the benefit of using Global EntryTM?
A: Individuals approved to participate in Global Entry™ will be able to:
Use dedicated Global EntryTM kiosks at designated airports to bypass the regular Passport Control lanes; and
Enter the United States without routine CBP questioning, unless chosen for a selective or random secondary referral.
Global EntryTM will allow CBP officers to concentrate their efforts on potentially higher-risk travelers and goods, which will help to ensure security and integrity at our borders.

Q: Where are the kiosks?
A: The kiosks are located in the Federal Inspection Services area (CBP area) in Terminal 4 -JFK, Dulles Airport, and Houston Intercontinental Airport.

Q: Will Global EntryTM shorten my wait time when entering the United States via a participating airport?
A: CBP expects that Global EntryTM will shorten wait and processing times for participants at the pilot airports. Part of the purpose of this pilot is to measure its impact on the public.

Q: Will I be exempt from secondary screening as a Global EntryTM participant?
A: Participants are exempt from routine CBP questioning. However, Global EntryTM participants are subject to additional screening at any time in the Customs process on a random basis or if selected by CBP officers.

Q: Will Global EntryTM give me any benefits when I am leaving the United States or entering another country?
A: Global EntryTM does not provide any benefits for persons exiting the United States; the process is only applicable upon re-entry. At this time, no benefits are available for Global EntryTM participants entering another country although the potential exists pending the establishment of bi-lateral agreements with specific countries.

Q: When will Global EntryTM be available to the public?
A: Enrollment in Global EntryTM will begin May 12, 2008 and operations at JFK (Terminal 4), Washington Dulles, and Houston Intercontinental will begin June 10, 2008.

Q: How long will the pilot run?
A: The pilot is expected to continue for at least six months and continue as long as needed to collect data for evaluation. Any decision for a permanent program is subject to the decision of DHS based on the results of the evaluation.

Q: Where are the kiosks?
A: The kiosks are located in the Federal Inspection Services area (CBP area) in Terminal 4 - JFK; Dulles Airport; and Houston Intercontinental Airport.

Q: How will the American government make sure that travelers enrolled in Global EntryTM are low-risk?
A: First, travelers must be pre-approved before they can participate in the pilot project. All applicants will undergo a rigorous background check and will be interviewed by a CBP Officer before they are enrolled in the Global EntryTM pilot. Second, automated enforcement checks will take place every time the member uses the Global EntryTM kiosk to enter the United States. Third, any member of Global EntryTM may be examined at any time when entering the United States.

Eligibility

Q: Who may apply for Global EntryTM?
A: Individuals who are: A) 14 years of age and older and B) U. S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents.
However, individuals may not qualify if they:

Are inadmissible to the United States under applicable immigration laws;
Provide false or incomplete information on their application;
Have been convicted of a criminal offense in any country;
Have been found in violation of customs or immigration laws; or
Fail to meet other Global EntryTM requirements.

If an individual does not meet the requirements of Global EntryTM, their application will be denied.

Q: Can children belong to Global EntryTM?
A: Children 14 years of age and older, but under the age of 18, must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian to participate in the pilot. Children under the age of 14 are not eligible to participate in the pilot.

Q: Is there a ceiling on the number of participants who can join Global EntryTM?
A: Global Entry™ does not have a prescribed limit on the number of members beyond the practical restrictions inherent in processing membership applications.

Q: If I am not a U.S. Citizen, National or Lawful Permanent Resident, when can I join?
A: At this time, only U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals and U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents can join Global EntryTM. CBP is working with several countries on bi-lateral agreements to expand the Global EntryTM to allow their respective citizens and lawful permanent residents to join Global EntryTM and to allow Americans to join their equivalent to Global EntryTM. CBP cannot predict when such agreements will be reached. Any changes in the eligibility requirements for Global EntryTM will be announced via notice in the Federal Register.

Enrollment


Q: How can I apply for Global EntryTM?
A: Beginning May 12, 2008, applications may be completed and submitted on-line through the Global On-line Enrollment System (GOES) at CBP.gov. ( CBP.gov ) A non-refundable $100 per person applicant processing fee is payable on-line at the time of application.

Q: What documents do I need to apply for Global EntryTM?
A: At a minimum, you must bring to the enrollment center a valid passport/ travel document and visa if required, and a second document, such as a driver's license, to demonstrate your current place of residence.

Q: What will happen after I apply through GOES?
A: Applying to Global EntryTM, is a two-step process:
CBP officers at the Centralized Vetting Center will use the biographic information provided on your application to conduct an initial background check to make sure you are eligible to become a member of Global Entry™.
If you are eligible, you will receive a message in your GOES account inviting you to the nearest enrollment center to be interviewed by a CBP officer. During this interview, CBP will also:
Verify and copy your original documents for our records;
Collect your fingerprints data to be used to conduct a biometric-based background check;
Take a digital photograph of your face;
Explain the terms and conditions of Global Entry™ membership; and
Demonstrate how to use the automated Global EntryTM kiosks found at participating airports.
At this stage, your application is complete pending CBP’s final determination on your eligibility. CBP will make a final determination only after it completes all three stages (biographic check, interview and biometric check).

If you are denied membership, you will receive a message notifying you of CBP’s decision.

Q: If I do not live near one of the three pilot airports, can I join Global EntryTM?
A: Yes, an individual does not need to live near one of the pilot airports to join. However, the CBP enrollment centers are at these airports, and the applicant would need to visit one of these enrollment centers for his or her eligibility interview.

Q: What personal information do I have to provide and why?
A: CBP will collect personal information from your application form, such as your name, date of birth, address, citizenship, proof of citizenship, and residency information. This information will be used for background checks and to administer the pilot project. The information may be shared with other law enforcement and government agencies in the United States in accordance with applicable laws for the purpose of assessing your application. The information will be stored in a secure CBP database.
NOTE: Membership in Global EntryTM is voluntary. The application form contains privacy statements about the use of the personal information collected.

Q: Is there a fee?
A: Yes. There is a non-refundable $100 application processing fee per applicant. It is payable at the time of enrollment through GOES.

Using Global Entry™ at the Airports


Q: How will Global EntryTM work?
A: When you arrive in the CBP inspection area, go directly to the kiosk. You do not have to go through the Passport Control lines.
The kiosk screen will prompt you to insert your machine-readable passport or LPR card. You will then be prompted to place your index fingers on the fingerprint pad. The kiosk will compare the fingerprints presented to the fingerprints on file to confirm the traveler’s identity. The kiosk will then prompt you to use the touch screen to answer standard Customs questions declaring what goods and currency amounts you are bringing into the country. Then, the kiosk will issue a transaction receipt instructing you to either exit the area, or go to the nearest Passport Control lane for further inspection.

You will give the kiosk receipt to the CBP officer at the exit control point or in the secondary inspection area.

All Global Entry™ members remain subject to examination at any time when entering the United States.

Q: How do Global Entry™ members declare goods they are bringing into the United States?
A: Members entering the United States must complete the declaration questions prompted by the kiosk.

Q: How will Global Entry™ members pay duties and taxes on goods that exceed personal exemptions?
A: Members can either go through the kiosks or the regular Passport Control lanes. They will then be directed to the CBP secondary area for further processing.

Q: How does the $10,000 currency reporting legislation affect me?
A: You must report currency or monetary instruments equal to or greater than USD $10,000. You may use the kiosk or you may use the regular lane to make your declaration to a CBP officer.
For more information, see the U.S. Department of Treasury FinCen 105, Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments.

Q: What happens if a traveler fails to report goods or to comply with CBP requirements while using the Global Entry™ automated kiosk?
A: Global Entry™ has a zero tolerance policy for violations. If a Global Entry™ member violates any of the terms and conditions, CBP officers will take appropriate enforcement action and will cancel the person's membership privileges. The application fee in non-refundable.

Redress


Q: If CBP denies me entry in the program, can I appeal their decision?
A: Applicants who are not accepted into the Global Entry™ pilot have three channels for redress: a) directly with the enrollment center; b) DHS Travelers Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP); and c) the CBP Trusted Traveler Ombudsman. Please see the CBP website for more information on how to seek redress.

Q: I was denied membership into Global Entry™ pilot but was not given the reason. Can I find out why CBP did not accept me?
A: Consistent with privacy law and national security considerations, DHS and CBP may not reveal the specific reason for an applicant’s denial in either the initial notification or the redress process depending on the circumstances of a particular case.

The Future

Q: When is Global Entry™ going to expand the number of participating airports?
A: CBP will announce any additional sites for Global Entry™ pilots via a notice in the Federal Register.

Integration with other Programs

Q: I am a member of NEXUS, Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) and Free and Secure Trade (FAST). Does that help me get into Global Entry™?
A: CBP is exploring ways to integrate members of its NEXUS, and SENTRI programs on an optional basis.

Q: I am a member of TSA’s Registered Traveler pilot. Can I use the Global Entry™ kiosk when returning to the United States?
A: DHS envisions close ties among the CBP trusted traveler programs and ties to other programs, such as the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Registered Traveler (RT). While Global Entry™ and RT will differ as needed to serve each program’s mission and operating environment, DHS will pursue common policies where appropriate. For example, with the permission of the applicant, TSA and CBP might share biographic and biometric enrollment information to allow individuals to join both programs with a single application. This cooperation would make the enrollment process more convenient for the applicant and more efficient for the programs. CBP is working with TSA on identifying areas of cooperation. In the meantime, RT members will need to join Global Entry™ separately to use the Global Entry™ kiosk when returning to the United States during the Global Entry™ pilot’s initial evaluation period.

Q: Can I join Global Entry™ using a private sector company?
A: No. At this time, Global Entry™ is a pilot and enrollment is conducted exclusively through CBP