SCOOP: Biometric Exits Coming to Every U.S. Border
DHS has a new rule allowing facial scans and fingerprinting for all departing noncitizens at any U.S. border.
WASHINGTON — In a quietly seismic shift at the U.S. frontier, the Department of Homeland Security has published a sweeping new rule requiring biometric data collection like fingerprints and facial scans from departing noncitizen travelers at every official exit point.
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The rule, finalized on October 27 and effective December 26, tears off the location-specific training wheels, greenlighting biometric capture at any authorized airport, seaport, land border, or checkpoint, from Miami International to a desert footbridge in Arizona.
DHS is soliciting public comments through November 26—not just on the logistics, but on proposed cost/benefit analyses for capturing departing travelers’ data at emerging points of transit, including pedestrian crossings and smaller, previously overlooked exits. For years, biometric exit measures existed only as pilot projects, stymied by geography, funding, and a hesitance to overhaul how America says goodbye.
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Now, with overstayed visas comprising a stubborn share of the undocumented population, federal officials say this action finally draws a digital border against those who leave invisibly. If you’re a noncitizen departing the U.S., your exit will not slip the data net.
The move comes amid surges in global mobility and mounting congressional pressure to enforce the integrity of America’s borders on both entry and exit. While the nuts and bolts will unfold in coming months, public input could nudge how these systems handle privacy, process, and technology creep at the nation’s gates.
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