Congress and the travel industry are strongly criticizing the first phase of a plan to track visitors to the USA and raising doubts about whether the program can begin as scheduled Jan. 1. Border agents are supposed to photograph and fingerprint all foreign visitors traveling with visas through U.S. airports and seaports. The information would be compared with lists of known and suspected terrorists and other lawbreakers. Officials would also keep track of whether the visitors left the USA when they said they would. The ambitious plan was ordered by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when officials learned that two hijackers had violated the terms of their visas. Initially, the plan would cover 14% of the foreign travelers to the USA — the 7 million a year from countries where they are required to apply for visas from U.S. consulates. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.