Murderers, Pedophiles, Drug Traffickers Intercepted Entering US
by
Jim Kouri, CPP
A Department of Homeland Security program that collects
biometric and biographic data from visa applicants and
visitors to the United States has achieved unprecedented results in
helping US agencies identify criminals and other violators seeking entry
to the country, senior DHS sources claim.
For example, on one Sunday evening, US Customs and Border Protection
officers sent a Swiss national, suspected of being a pedophile, back to
France as his fingerprints indicated that he was wanted by Interpol.
Created in January 2004 and administered by DHS, the US-VISIT Program is a
continuum of security measures that collects biometric data, such as
fingerprints, and biographic information from visitors at US visa-issuing
posts worldwide and upon their arrival at and departure from US air, sea,
and land ports.
In the 17 months since US-VISIT was created, the matching of fingerprints
and biographic information against the US-VISIT database has enabled State
Department consular officers around the word to deny US visas to
approximately 7,000 visa applicants. More than a third of these visas were
denied because the applicants' fingerprints matched those on various US
government law enforcement and security lists.
At the same time, fingerprints and other data from US-VISIT have enabled
inspectors from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deny entry to
approximately 594 people who arrived at US borders seeking to enter the
country. CBP is the unified border agency within DHS charged with the
management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between
the official ports of entry.
Furthermore, the US-VISIT program has helped special agents from US
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest approximately 39 people
through fingerprint matches, investigative leads and other information.
ICE is
the largest investigative arm of DHS, with broad responsibilities for a
number of key homeland security priorities.
"There is no question that the use of biometrics, combined with strong
cooperation among the many entities that make up our immigration and
border management system, helps us achieve the national security goals of
the nation," said Jim Williams, director of US-VISIT. "This is one
critical way we can stop potential threats to our citizens and visitors."
In the past, criminals and others who were the subject of lookouts needed
only a new name to slip across our borders. With US-VISIT, fingerprints
reveal the true identity underneath any alias.
The results are directly attributable to enhanced sharing of biometric
data and other information between domestic and international
organizations. There is broad cooperation among such organizations to
share information and match fingerprints against existing data sources.
These data sources include Interpol data on criminals and wanted
fugitives; the Department of State's lost and stolen passport information;
the FBI's known or wanted terrorist list; and other systems. Each of these
entities uses fingerprints as its main biometric tool.
Both the 9/11 Commission and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act of 2004 stressed the need for improved information sharing
and cooperation among law enforcement and intelligence entities. Progress
has been
made toward that end, and the enforcement results of US-VISIT serve as
concrete examples. By capturing biometrics from visitors seeking entry to
the United States, US-VISIT deprives criminals and potential terrorists of
the ability to cross US borders using fraudulent documents and to violate
immigration laws without detection.
The State Department, CBP, ICE and other US government entities rely upon
the biometric and biographic data contained in US-VISIT to assist them in
their daily operations. This vital information was unavailable to them
until the launch of US-VISIT.
Several recent cases demonstrate how biometric data, combined with quick
analysis and information sharing both at home and abroad, is helping
protect the nation:
-- On May 15, 2005, CBP inspectors at Los Angeles International
Airport encountered a Swiss national seeking admission as a Visa Waiver
applicant. A US-VISIT fingerprint check by CBP inspectors revealed that
this person was wanted by Interpol as he is suspected of pedophilia.
-- On May 8, 2005, ICE agents at the Lewiston, NY, port of entry
arrested David Kricheli, a native of the Republic of Georgia who was
wanted for murder in Germany, in connection with a 1997 shooting that left
one person dead and another wounded. Kricheli had been living in Canada
for years under a new identity and had obtained a job as a truck
driver, routinely crossing into the United States. In April 2005, ICE
agents in Washington, DC, received thousands of fingerprints on
international fugitives from Interpol and began cross-referencing this
data against fingerprints in US-VISIT. They soon found that an Interpol
fingerprint of Kricheli matched the US-VISIT fingerprint of a man in
Canada named Michael Tonia who had applied for a US visa. Agents
quickly determined that Kricheli and Tonia were the same person. On May 6,
2005, ICE Headquarters notified ICE agents in Buffalo that the fugitive
was operating in their area. This information was shared with CBP. Two
days later, CBP inspectors intercepted Kricheli at the Canadian border and
turned him over to ICE for arrest.
-- A routine US-VISIT check of a visitor's fingerprints by a CBP
inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport revealed that the
visitor was using an alias. Further CBP checks showed that he had two
prior arrests for drug trafficking, a subsequent failure to appear in
court, and visa
fraud. The traveler presented a fraudulent visa he had used to enter the
United States more than 60 times without being detected by
standardbiographic record checks.
-- Through a coordinated effort by CBP inspectors, CBP's
NationalTargeting Center, and ICE agents, the subject of a US-VISIT
biometric"lookout" was located and arrested as he attempted to depart the
Unites States. The subject, an Albanian national, had an active warrant
for his arrest in Dallas for failure to register as a sexual offender, a
felony. The subject was located by CBP officers, removed from the
Lufthansa airliner he had boarded, and detained by CBP until ICE agents
arrived to arrest him. The subject was later turned over to local
authorities to face prosecution.
-- A cooperative effort between the ICE agents in New York and CBP
inspectors in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, led to the apprehension of a St.
Lucia native who was the subject of a US-VISIT biometric "lookout," with a
warrant for his arrest for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. The subject
attempted to enter the United States as a visitor for pleasure
through the St. Thomas port of entry, and was immediately taken into
custody by CBP Inspectors. He was later extradited to New York to face
prosecution.
US-VISIT is a top priority for the US Department of Homeland Security.
US-VISIT's goals are to enhance the security of our citizens and visitors,
facilitate legitimate travel and trade, ensure the integrity of our
immigration system, and protect personal privacy. The initial deployment
of
US-VISIT represents a tangible and successful interim response to this
challenge but much more needs to be done to have a complete automated
biometric entry-exit system that fully meets our goals. Meeting the
challenge
also requires a comprehensive vision and strategic approach to
transforming our ability to keep America's doors open and our nation
secure.
US-VISIT entry procedures are currently in place at 115 airports, 15
seaports, and in the secondary inspection areas of the 50 busiest land
ports of entry. By December 31, 2005, US-VISIT entry procedures will be
implemented
in the secondary inspection areas of all remaining land ports of entry. To
date, more than 25 million visitors have been processed through US-VISIT
without adversely impacting wait times, and more than 590 criminals or
immigration violators have been denied admission to the United States
because of US-VISIT.
Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, National Association of
Chiefs of Police
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National
Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City
housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters
covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of
public safety at a New Jersey university. He's also served on the
National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers
throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines
including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law
Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for
over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin
Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The
Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered
at local bookstores.
