On Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) received an interim-final rule that would allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to broadly implement a system to collect biometric data from foreign nationals traveling to and from the U.S.
This new rule would allow CBP to proceed with the expansion of its entry-exit tracking program beyond the currently limited number of airports, land and sea ports, throughout the country. The program, which until now has been in pilot-stage, uses facial and fingerprint scanners. A recently-released DHS report states the eventual goal to be the screening of 97% of all departing air travelers within the next four years. The expansion of the biometric program is another effort to reduce visa overstays, as referenced in the memo President Trump issued on Monday.