HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) - The Department of Homeland Security on Monday continued the rollout of its new digital screening program at 12 land ports on the Texas-Mexico border.
Termed US-VISIT, for United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, the program uses inkless fingerprint readers and eyeball-sized digital cameras to gather data on people entering the United States. A computer then runs the data against FBI and other databases.
The program was developed after a post-Sept. 11 congressional mandate to better track foreigners entering and leaving the United States.
The 12 ports to get the program Monday were in Brownsville, Hidalgo, Los Indios, Pharr, Progreso, Rio Grande City, Roma, Del Rio and Eagle Pass. They were the last of the nation's 50 busiest land ports to get it. All land ports, and there are 115 more to go, are scheduled to have it by the end of 2005.
Border-area businesses feared the program would cause logjams at the border that would deter Mexicans, or Canadians in the north, from crossing to shop, dine, and vacation.
But so far, the program has been implemented with little effect on wait times.
Contrary to early expectations, federal officials exempted Mexicans holding border crossing cards, or laser visas, from the program. Since U.S. and Canadian citizens also are exempt, only about 3 percent of those crossing the border go through the new process.
Foreigners who have undergone the program have said they were sympathetic to U.S. security efforts and found the process painless. If anything, they said it saved the hassle of filling out forms for I-94, or long-term visas, making their entries speedier. The machinery fills the forms out automatically.
``It's more security in your country and I understand,'' Jose Antonio Mendez Bernal said in Monday's The (McAllen) Monitor. ``It's one of the controls.''
Mendez had crossed the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge in Laredo, which on Nov. 15 became one of the first bridges to have the new system. About half the retail sales made in Laredo are to Mexicans, and Laredo Mayor Betty Flores was one of the program's loudest opponents. Flores has said she now supports the program and appreciates the government's vow not to hurt border trade.
Jim Williams, the director of US-VISIT, told The Associated Press he hadn't heard of any slowdowns.
``To the contrary, I don't think we've found one case where we're not saving time,'' he said.
In Laredo, he said, I-94 processing time had gone from an average of 11 minutes to below five minutes.
``In one case, we did a family of five in five minutes,'' he said.
U.S.-Mexico border crossings are especially busy around the holidays, which for many Mexicans concludes with gift giving for Three Kings Day on Jan. 6. Mondays also are busy as Mexicans who work or attend school in the U.S. return and truck traffic picks up.
Fred Rolland, assistant port director at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, said wait times there Monday averaged about 15 minutes.
``We haven't had any problems, it's working smoothly,'' he said. ``To me, it's like a normal Monday.''
Next will come an exit check system, which Williams said will not be implemented until officials are confident traffic will move as quickly as it moves now.
