The US Coast Guard, a security and safety unit under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for monitoring and ensuring that no illegal migrants will be crossing over to the United States from the coastlines. The areas which serve as hotspots for illegal migrants are now being closely watched by the Coast Guard, namely the shores of the United States near the Dominical Republic and Puerto Rico. As a means of making the Coast Guard more effective in their tasks, the DHS collected biometrics data from over 1,300 migrants in 2006 to 2007. The DHS proudly announces that the adaptation of the biometrics system has helped reduce the number of illegal migrants significantly.
So what are biometrics and how did this information assist the DHS and the US Coast guard in arresting illegal migrants? Specifically speaking, biometrics contains data beyond that of name, age, or gender. The database which is being managed by the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) contains the abovementioned info, but includes fingerprint data, blood type, and many others. This serves as a more accurate and efficient method for detecting illegal migrants. The US-VISIT also performs biometrics collection, and provides this information to other US authorities as necessary.
How did US-VISIT and the biometrics database help the Coast Guard? Until now, the Coast Guard did not possess the knowledge and technical equipment for identifying suspected illegal migrants. With this new system established by the DHS, whenever the Coast Guard apprehends a migrant, they will be able to immediately determine if he is an illegal migrant, has a run-in with the law, or has a criminal record. Using satellite technology, the Coast Guard can upload this info to US-VISIT for checking and verification. Since the implementation of the DHS biometrics project, about 90 illegal migrants have been arrested and prosecuted, and the number of illegal migrants in the mentioned hotspots dropped by 50 percent.
Rear Admiral Wayne Justice, Director of Response Policy says that the 95,000 miles of coastline being monitored by the Coast Guard becomes easier to watch thanks to effectiveness and accuracy of the biometrics system. Aside from the DHS, US-VISIT, and the US Coast Guard, this project was a collaboration of the Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Embassy in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, and the US Attorney’s Office in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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