The House Homeland Security Committee on Friday unanimously passed legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) that enhances U.S. visa screening procedures at posts overseas.
The Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act of 2016, H.R. 5253, seeks to deploy trained law enforcement personnel for applicant vetting and biometric screening technology to 50 U.S. Embassies abroad.
“We simply cannot afford to let terrorists slip through the cracks,” Hurd said. “We live in a day and age when bad actors from all over the world could exploit our legal visa process and plot against Americans. It is time we send trained professionals to properly vet travelers in order to push out our borders and stop those who seek to do us harm before they even get to our shores.”
The bill was met with approval by involved stakeholders, including the Security Industry Association (SIA).
“Among other provisions, the bill requires Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to utilize facial recognition technology to screen travelers at U.S. airports of entry, by ensuring a match between the individual and the digital photo stored on the secure embedded chip included within authentic U.S. passports,” SIA CEO Don Erickson said. “Despite the fact this information is already included in exiting passports, this screening is not done currently, leaving the U.S. open to passport fraud that could be exploited by terrorists to gain unlawful entry to the country.”