Biometric technology aids apprehension of imposter at Dulles airport

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at Washington Dulles International Airport recently used facial comparison biometric technology to foil an imposter’s effort to pose as a French citizen.

Officials said a 26-year-old man traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil, presented a French passport to the CBP officer conducting primary inspections when the officer the agency’s new facial comparison biometric technology to confirm the man was not a match to the passport he presented.

The traveler was referred to secondary screening for further examination, where it was noted the man’s behavior changed, and he became nervous, and a search revealed the man’s authentic Republic of Congo identification card concealed in his shoe. CBP noted that the use of someone else’s identification is a violation of immigration laws that could result in criminal prosecution.

“Facial recognition technology is an important step forward for CBP in protecting the United States from all types of threats,” Casey Durst, CBP’s director of the Baltimore Field Office, said.“Terrorists and criminals continually look for creative methods to enter the U.S., including using stolen genuine documents. The new facial recognition technology virtually eliminates the ability for someone to use a genuine document that was issued to someone else.”

Officials said the man intercepted at Dulles was the first impostor detected using the new technology.