Since the U.S. Border Patrol installed new fingerprint matching systems on the Mexican and Canadian borders, arrests of criminals and criminal suspects attempting to enter the country have jumped from 2,612 in 2002 to 29,501 in 2004. Part of the Department of Homeland Security's "virtual border" the system is designed to stop suspected terrorists from entering the country, but the Border Patrol isn't releasing any information on suspected terrorists that may have been caught.
The system works by comparing fingerprints of those seeking admittance with the FBI database of wanted suspects and criminals. Part of the tally of suspects is from those who flee the country and then try to return, according to the Los Angeles Times from a Border Patrol report. Non-violent offenders are expelled, but violent offenders face a 20-year prison term for illegal re-entry.
