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DHS Implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative


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August 7, 2006 By

DHS has been working closely with the Department of State to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This initiative will require travelers to present secure identity documentation when entering the United States. WHTI will ensure the free movement of people and cargo across the border while increasing the nation's security.
  • Today, thousands of different types of documents can currently be used at the Border: Over 8,000 different types of documentation are presented by travelers to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. Limiting the number and type of documents accepted will help our inspectors zero in on the individuals that present the greatest threat to our country.
  • 84,000 Apprended: In fiscal year 2005, over 84,000 individuals were apprehended by CBP at the ports of entry trying to cross the border with fraudulent claims of citizenship or false documents. CBP Officers intercepted more than 75,000 fraudulent documents last year and over 47,000 to-date with 4 months left in the Fiscal Year. On an average day, CBP Officers deny entry to 868 non-citizens and 45 criminal aliens attempting to enter the country, and has denied entry to over 334,000 aliens during the current Fiscal Year.

Border Officer Training
    CBP Officers undergo security training to determine what genuine documents look like and how documents can be altered. CBP also trains officers to watch for imposters -- people who use genuine documents but are not the legitimate bearer of those documents. CBP Officers working primary inspection are taught to recognize possible fraudulent documents and to refer those questionable documents to secondary for further review and consultation.
  • 19,000 trained in fraudulent document detection: Since 2003, CBP has trained nearly 19,000 CBP Officers and agriculture specialists in fraudulent document detection. In addition, CBP has trained more than 1,600 Officers in advanced skills in behavioral analysis. CBP has also embedded fraudulent document training into approximately 40 other training courses.

Biometrics and International Cooperation

DHS is also harnessing 21st century technology and biometric information to increase the likelihood of apprehending criminal or terrorist elements attempting to enter the U.S. US-VISIT has processed more than 61 million people applying for admission at U.S. ports of entry. Nearly 1,200 criminals and immigration violators have been intercepted upon entry into the United States based on the biometric alone.
  • US-VISIT at Ports of Entry: US-VISIT has integrated the collection and use of biometrics into the admission process at 115 U.S. airports, 14 seaports, and 154 land border ports of entry and provided the same capability to the Department of State's BioVisa program operating at 211 visa-issuing posts worldwide. This new tool, available to DOS and DHS officers, has greatly enhanced our collective ability to detect fraudulent documents.
  • Power of Biometrics: US-VISIT owes a great deal of its success to the power of biometrics. Biometrics identify the traveler, protect privacy and make it virtually impossible to cross borders using fraudulent documents or to assume another's identity.
  • Lost and Stolen Passports: Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries are held to several measures concerning lost and stolen passports such as -- reporting all lost and stolen passports to INTERPOL and DHS, as quickly as possible; reporting all intercepted lost and stolen passports to DHS' Fraudulent Document Analysis Unit; sharing information on trends and analysis of lost and stolen passports; and providing detailed information on other VWP passport security features.

ICE Document Fraud Operations
  • 11 Document & Benefit Fraud Task Forces: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces, which were formally announced in April 2006, serve as one of ICE's key tools against document fraud. Located in 11 major U.S. cities, these are multi-agency task forces that bring together investigators from different agencies to combat document fraud and the related problem of immigration benefit fraud. Thus far, these task forces have spearheaded investigations that have resulted in more than 287 criminal arrests, 188 indictments, 294 seizures, and 48 search warrants

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