The Homeland Security Department is undertaking a massive effort to integrate more than two dozen criminal and terrorist databanks as part of a new immigration tracking system, but some immigration advocates fear inaccurate information will cause problems for people entering the country. The department plans to integrate 27 different biographical databases and one biometric database this year to make the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT) program work, said Robert Mocny, the program’s deputy director. US VISIT was launched Monday at 115 airports and 14 ship terminals, and requires visitors with nonimmigrant visas to give biographic and travel information, two fingerprint scans and a digital photograph, before being allowed to enter the country. Information from visitors is vetted against databases from other agencies, such as the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, which is composed of elements from the CIA, FBI, DHS and Defense Department. Mocny said DHS plans to award a contract to Lockheed Martin, Computer Sciences Corporation or Accenture by the end of May to integrate databases across government agencies so border inspectors can effectively screen visitors. Full Story
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