Unit 4 Part 3 (April 18)                                      

Homeland Securities Airport Upgrade

The Department of Homeland Security has completely revamped their screening process for foreign nationals entering the United States. The new regulations implemented by the Department of Homeland security enhance the filtration of foreign peoples by requiring all ten finger prints instead of the long standard of two. The new biometric systems scan, process, and record all the fingerprints of anyone who has entered the country. This has in the past helped to catch some offenders, such as one man who stole his twin’s passport and has be register for filming a foreign military institution. It is thought that the new system will improve the country’s ability to pinpoint offenders. However, it has made many visitors feel discriminated against and unwelcome.

Through the implementation of this new fingerprinting system the Department of Homeland Security has exercised their right to discretionary authority. They feel that this scanning procedure gives them the greatest ability to protect America from foreign threats. Many of the participants through the initial stages of implementation felt as though the process consisted of too much red tape. It aggravated them that they needed to spend several minutes entering in their fingerprints while in their mind knowing they have done nothing wrong. 

This upgraded system also comes with an upgraded budget of $280 million. This will require a large appropriation given to Homeland Security by the House of Representatives in order to fund the purchasing and installation of units across the United States.  It is incredibly important that this new system be enacted due to the increased difficulty of faking. “6.7 million Passports have been stolen or miss placed” meaning that it is easy to take a passport and once in possession of that passport using for personal gain.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/nyregion/26prints.html?_r=0