GAO Says US-VISIT Exit Program Does Not Meet Statutory Requirements
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in a new report that biometric US-VISIT exit monitoring cannot now be implemented without having a major impact on land POE facilities. An interim nonbiometric exit technology being tested does not meet the statutory requirement and cannot ensure that visitors who enter the U.S. are the same as those who leave.
The GAO noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not yet reported to Congress on a required plan describing how it intends to fully implement a biometric entry/exit program or to use nonbiometric solutions. Until this plan is finalized, the GAO said, neither DHS nor Congress is in a good position to prioritize and allocate program resources or plan for POE facility modifications. DHS also has not yet articulated how US-VISIT will align with other emerging land border security initiatives and mandates, and thus cannot ensure that the program will meet strategic program goals and operate cost-effectively at land POEs.
The GAO recommends that DHS improve existing management controls for US-VISIT, develop performance measures to assess the impact of US-VISIT at land POEs, and ensure that a statutorily mandated report describes how DHS will move to a biometric entry-exit capability and align US-VISIT with other emerging land border security initiatives.
The GAO report, “Border Security: US-VISIT Program Faces Strategic, Operational, and Technological Challenges at Land Ports of Entry.”.
