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Homeland Panel Approves Bilirakis Maritime Biometric ID Measure |
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WASHINGTON
(25 Sept.) --
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Homeland Security approved the Coast Guard
Authorization Act, H.R. 2830, which contained legislation authored by U.S. Rep.
Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.) that creates a pilot program for the mobile biometric
screening of aliens interdicted in the maritime environment.
Congressman Bilirakis's proposal (H.R. 2490), which the Committee added to the
Coast Guard bill, would create a pilot program enabling the Coast Guard, the
lead federal agency for maritime homeland security, to collect biometric
information on waterborne aliens and screen them against existing federal
databases of those wanted for immigration violations and other transgressions
of U.S. laws. The bill also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
to evaluate the results to determine the feasibility and appropriateness of
expanding such capability throughout the DHS maritime border system.
"I am pleased the Committee acted decisively to include this very
important tool in our nation's maritime border security infrastructure,"
said Bilirakis. "The instant processing of illegal aliens in our maritime
domain through biometric identifiers is critical to clamping down on
immigration violators, criminals, previous deportees and possible terrorists.
Without it, these often repeat offenders will continue to bounce off our
existing maritime border security efforts until they successful gain entry into
the United States."
Every year, DHS estimates that more than 10,000 unknown migrants attempt to
cross in small boats from the Dominican Republic
to Puerto Rico alone; representing almost 50
percent of maritime migrant apprehension. Most interdicted migrants currently
are repatriated because the United
States lacks the ability to verify the
identity of these apprehended migrants, posing a potentially serious risk to
national security.
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