Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers used biometric verification to prevent a Ghanaian man posing as a U.S. citizen from entering the country at Washington Dulles International Airport on New Year’s Day.
The man, who had been denied U.S. travel visas in 2013 and 2016 because of fraud, presented a CBP officer with a U.S. citizen’s passport. The officer suspected the man was an imposter and used facial recognition technology to confirm his suspicion.
“The U.S. government offers foreign nationals a means to lawfully immigrate to the United States, but using another person’s identity documents is a very serious violation of U.S. immigration law that could result in criminal prosecution,” Daniel Mattina, the CBP acting port director of the Area Port of Washington D.C., said. “Customs and Border Protection officers remain ever vigilant to intercept those who violate our nation’s laws or pose potential harm to the U.S.”
CBP officers used a biometric examination to glean the man’s true identity. Officials have not released the man’s identity because he has not yet been charged with a crime.
In a separate case on New Year’s Day, drug paraphernalia containing marijuana residue was discovered in a U.S. citizen’s luggage after a narcotics detection dog alerted on the bag. The man was assessed a $500 zero tolerance penalty.
“Customs and Border Protection’s inspections of arriving and departing international travelers and cargo is one way in which CBP contributes to our nation’s security, and it’s a responsibility that CBP takes seriously,” Casey Owen Durst, the field operations director of CBP in Baltimore, said.