DETROIT – The trip across the Canadian-US border will soon get more high-tech for many foreign travelers after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced plans to collect digital fingerprints and photos of visa holders passing through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or over the Ambassador Bridge.

The US-VISIT program, which is already in effect at the Bluewater Bridge in Port Huron, at Detroit Metro Airport and at 114 other airports and 15 seaports nationwide, compares the fingerprints and photos of visitors passing through Customs with the fingerprints and photo of the people to whom the visa was issued at one of 211 U.S. consulates or embassies worldwide. What?s more, US-VISIT provides immediate single-point access for Customs & Border Protection officers to a variety of important terrorist, criminal and immigration databases against which they can check to see if a traveler poses a known security threat.

Not all visitors to the United States will be required to provide fingerprints and stand for a photograph. Exempt visitors include most Canadians and many Mexicans who travel regularly within the Border Zone. In general, if a visitor to the United States would normally be required to fill out the Form I-94 upon entry, they will be required to use US-VISIT. American citizens and green card holders will also be exempt.

C. Stewart Venery, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security Policy and Planning, said that US-VISIT, which he characterized as ?a 21st-Century border management system,? is one of Homeland Security?s top priorities. He said that Detroit?s border security is a priority for Homeland Security, with such high-profile international events as the North American International Auto Show, the 2005 All-Star Game and the 2006 Super Bowl increasing border traffic and security concerns. He also noted that Homeland Security is ensuring that cross-border logistics which power the modern ?just-in-time? economy are not impacted by border security measures.

Both Venery and other Homeland Security representatives emphasized that US-VISIT will not further clog Detroit?s border. Bar code scans will automatically fill in Form I-94 for travelers providing a time-saving measure that will also reduce data entry errors from handwritten forms. Venery also said US-VISIT will decrease the number of visitors who are mistaken for criminals or terrorists.

?This is a tool not only to find people, but to clear people as well,? Venery said.

US-VISIT ?forms the spine of the 21st Century border,? said P.T. Wright, executive director of the US-VISIT program. He added that more high-tech border security tools are in development or will shortly be deployed. One example he gave was a pilot program that will expand US-VISIT to travelers exiting the United States, giving immigration and law enforcement notification when visitors overstay their visas.

This story was written by John Mozena, a special correspondent to Mitechnews.Com. Email story ideas to Mozena at [email protected].