The face- and fingerprint-matching technology that has been touted as a sophisticated new way to stop terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering the country through Mexico has a major drawback: U.S. border inspectors almost never use it, says the Associated Press. Government officials said checking more people would create too big a backup at the border, where hours-long traffic jams are common.
Some members of Congress who voted for the system in 1996 are complaining. They said the intent was to use biometrics — or a person’s unique physical traits — to screen everyone. ”Congress would not have gone to the trouble of requiring biometric features on the border crossing card if it knew the administration would not require that those features be read by scanners,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).
Link: http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/386775,CST-NWS-bord16.article