Alert for Green card holders: US issues new entry and exit rules for all foreigners
The US plans to photograph all non-citizens at entry and exit points to enhance border security, leveraging advanced facial recognition technology.
Amid Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, the United States intends to take a picture of every non-citizen as they enter and exit the nation, citing much-improved face recognition technology.
In a filing published Friday in the Federal Register, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to increase the collection of photos and data at airport, sea, and land crossings in a bid to combat fake travel papers and strengthen national security.
“Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit system that compares biometric data of aliens collected upon arrival with biometric data collected upon departure helps address the national security concerns arising from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of legitimate travel documentation, aliens who remain in the United States beyond their period of authorized stay (overstays) or are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, as well as incorrect or incomplete biographic data for travelers,” CBP stated in its Federal Register filing.
All non-citizens of the US, including illegal immigrants and those with green cards, would be subject to the new regulations.
Although the regulation was first proposed in 2021, the modifications are an essential component of a larger Trump administration initiative to use modern technology to bolster border security and deter illegal immigration. In recent months, a number of experts have expressed concerns regarding the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) attempts to obtain additional data, particularly from the Social Security Administration and the IRS.
When will new measures take place?
The updated rules would enable US border officials to take pictures of non-citizens at any time they leave the country, and they would be implemented on December 26, 2025. They would also collect additional biometric information.
TSA uses facial recognition technology to validate travel papers at some airports, and CBP already obtains fingerprints and photos from travelers, immigrants with visas and green cards, and some US residents. However, requiring this information on every exit would be different.
Will people over 79 and kids under 14 be exempted?
Additionally, CBP would be permitted to employ facial recognition equipment for the presently exempt groups of people over 79 and children under 14.
All about entry and exit system
According to the Trump administration, a fully coordinated entry and departure system like this would help DHS identify individuals who are trying to avoid immigration laws in various ways or who overstay their visas.
Although CBP admitted that it was challenging to implement the system without designated, secure exit lanes at ports, it stated that advancements in facial recognition technology now make this possible.
CBP will have the ability to generate galleries of images linked to specific people, such as those taken by border guards or from passports or other travel records. After that, these will be directly contrasted with real-time images captured at the sites of entry and exit
According to CBP, the new approach might be implemented extensively in three to five years. On October 27, a public comment session is anticipated to begin..
