BajaNomad

Immigration scanning coming soon?

Porky Pig - 7-30-2004 at 09:44 AM

The Mexico City newspaper "El Universal" today reported computerized screening at border crossings in 2005. Article pasted here. See ya, Dave and Juanita from Cielito Lindo.

Database will screen tourists

July 30, 2004




The government is building a digital archive of travel documents and visas for all visitors to the country in an effort to weed out criminals and streamline immigration controls, authorities announced this week.
Digital images of passports and other migration documents currently are being collected at the country's five largest airports. The government hopes to connect the growing database which was started in December 2003 to all Mexican international airports, ports and border crossings in 2005, National Migration Institute Commissioner Magdalena Carral said.
Mexico uses infrared and ultraviolet scanners to verify documents and currently has no plans to record finger prints, officials at the migration institute said.
Airports in Europe and the United States have begun using biometrics which measure a person's physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, face or iris pattern to quickly identify passengers.
Scanning passports and other migration documents usually takes just seconds and no delays are expected for foreign visitors, Carral said.
The new migration database can be searched almost instantly to help identify false documents or people linked to terrorism, crimes and migration violations.
It also will also be used to track Mexican migrants. Mexicans returning home will be asked where they have been, what they were doing and whether they were mistreated, authorities said.
Officials also described the system as a tool for monitoring corruption and efficiency, noting that it records the name of the migration official involved in each arrival and departure.


JESSE - 7-30-2004 at 01:55 PM

Sounds like the U.S. yuck!

elgatoloco - 7-30-2004 at 05:41 PM

progress

Tracking

mcgyver - 8-2-2004 at 06:45 AM

I guess that some of you do not know that you are tracked OUT bound by USA cameras as well as INBOUND. (QUITE' its a secret!) So do not lie when they ask you how many days you have been in Mexic when returning to the USA. They aleady know and it makes you a "suspicous character" and a reason to send you to secondary inspection.

Do you think the database will work as well as the FM3 system?

The Gull - 8-2-2004 at 07:31 AM