CBP Boasts of Second Bust in Biometric Entry Screening

Another impostor has been caught trying to enter the United States through the Washington Dulles International Airport, thanks to newly implemented biometric screening technology.

According to a press release from the US Customs and Border Protection agency, the suspect in this case was a 26-year-old woman who arrived via a flight from Accra, Ghana. She claimed to be an American citizen returning home, but the CBP’s facial recognition technology determined that her face didn’t match the image in her passport, and she was ultimately found to be a Ghanaian citizen.

It’s the second such bust in the few weeks since the Biometric Entry system went live at Dulles International Airport – an expansion from the initial Biometric Exit system scanning the faces of individuals departing the country that brought the technology to international arrivals as well.

In highlighting these busts, the CBP is demonstrating its eagerness to promote the benefits of its biometric border control system, which has seen criticism from privacy and civil rights groups as it has expanded to a growing number of airports in the country. “CBP’s facial comparison system has a match rate of 99% making it extremely difficult for criminals, terrorists or impostors to enter the country using another person’s identification and travel documents,” CBP Baltimore Field Office Director Casey Durst asserted.

While the Biometric Entry/Exit program is still in its early stages, the CBP has shown every indication that it ultimately aims to have the system in place at all US airports and indeed all border checkpoints, in a bid to more accurately track who is entering and leaving the country, and to thwart terrorism and criminal activity.

–

September 13, 2018 – by Alex Perala