GAO Issues Report on DHS' US-VISIT Program for Land Ports of Entry

(GAO states that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program to collect, maintain, and share data on selected foreign nationals entering and exiting the U.S. at air, sea and land ports of entry. These data, including biometric identifiers like digital fingerprints, are to be used to screen persons against watch lists, verify visitors' identities, and record arrival and departure.

The report states that US-VISIT entry capability has been installed at 154 of the 170 land ports of entry.)

GAO Finds DHS' Planned US-VISIT Enhancements May Adversely Affect Port Operations, Etc.

GAO states that DHS plans to further enhance US-VISIT's capabilities by, among other things, requiring new technology and equipment for scanning all 10 fingerprints. GAO states that while this may aid border security, installation could increase processing times and adversely affect operations at land ports of entry where space constraints, traffic congestion, and processing delays already exist.

GAO reports that its work indicated that management controls in place to identify such problems and evaluate operations were insufficient and inconsistently administered. For example, GAO identified computer processing problems at 12 sites visited; at 9 of these, the problems were not always reported. US-VISIT has developed performance measures, but measures to gauge factors that uniquely affect land ports of entry operations were not developed; these would put US-VISIT officials in a better position to identify areas for improvement.

GAO Finds DHS Has Not Implemented Biometric US-VISIT Exit Capability, Interim Nonbiometric Technology Insufficient, Etc.

GAO also reports that US-VISIT officials concluded that, for various reasons, a biometric US-VISIT exit capability cannot now be implemented without incurring a major impact on land port of entry facilities. GAO states that an interim nonbiometric exit technology being tested does not meet the statutory requirement for a biometric exit capability and cannot ensure that visitors who enter the country are those who leave.

GAO reports that DHS has not yet reported to Congress on a required plan describing how it intends to fully implement a biometric entry/exit program, or use nonbiometric solutions. GAO states that until this plan is finalized, neither DHS nor Congress is in a good position to prioritize and allocate program resources or plan for port of entry facilities modifications.

GAO Finds Lack of US-VISIT Alignment With Other Land Border Security Initiatives

GAO states that DHS has not yet articulated how US-VISIT is to align with other emerging land border security initiatives and mandates, and thus cannot ensure that the program will meet strategic program goals and operate cost effectively at land ports of entry. According to GAO, knowing how US-VISIT is to work with these initiatives, such as one requiring U.S. citizens, Canadians, and others to present passports or other documents at the border in 2009, is important for understanding the broader strategic context for US-VISIT and identifying resources, tools, and potential facility modifications needed to ensure success.

GAO Recommends Improved Management Controls, Assessment Measures, Report on Biometric Exit Capability, Etc.

In its report, GAO recommends that DHS improve existing management controls for US-VISIT; develop performance measures to assess the impact of US-VISIT at land ports of entry; and ensure that a statutorily mandated report describes how DHS will move to a biometric entry/exit capability and align US-VISIT with emerging land border security initiatives.

GAO adds that DHS generally agreed and said that it has begun to or plans to implement GAO's recommendations.

GAO Report (GAO-07-248, dated December 2006) available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07248.pdf