The White House is reportedly working on plans to develop a new biometric database that people would have to enter before being able to apply for a visa.
If the plans are finalized, potential immigrants would need to submit fingerprints and possibly other biometric information for the database before they are able to submit an online application, according to the Wall Street Journal. Under the current system, applicants go to a United States consulate after filing an application to do an interview and have their fingerprints submitted.
The Department of Homeland Security has been purchasing new fingerprint machines for U.S. consulates abroad that are more accurate than the machines many consulates currently use.
Officials who support the move say that getting more biometric information earlier in the application process will give the government more time to conduct background checks and identify potential threats. It would also fulfill one of President Trump’s longtime campaign promises — strong borders and “extreme vetting,” policies that have gradually undone many of former President Barack Obama’s efforts to accelerate the visa process.
Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world – a horrible mess!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
The policy expansions would apply to Canadians and anyone from the 39 countries that are currently enrolled in the DHS’s visa waiver program. Even though they don’t need to apply for visas, they would be required to submit the required biometric information at their consulates before entering the U.S. Some officials worry that countries participating in the visa waiver program would impose retaliatory requirements on U.S. citizens seeking to go to those countries.
The idea of an earlier biometric database was first introduced by the White House in a June presidential proclamation that temporarily suspended certain employment-based visa categories through the end of 2020. In the order, Trump directed the secretary of Homeland Security to “take appropriate action, consistent with applicable law, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to provide that an alien should not be eligible to apply for a visa or for admission or entry into the United States or other benefit until such alien has been registered with biographical and biometric information, including but not limited to photographs, signatures, and fingerprints.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House and the National Security Council for comment.
