Consolidation of border technologies seen as distant goal

A Homeland Security Department official on Monday said the department plans to consolidate the different systems and technologies that border officials use to track visitors entering and exiting the country but not in the near future.

"We're looking to harmonize the systems and technology," said Jim Williams, who is in charge of the department's latest border program. But he added that current stand-alone systems for border officials are "not going to change anytime soon."

Williams told company executives gathered for a Border Trade Alliance conference that using the same technology and system at borders would help speed the flow of trade and travel into the country. "We have long lines now," he noted.

But for now, officials are executing short-term solutions to balance the goal of increasing security without slowing commerce.

For example, Asa Hutchinson, the department's undersecretary for border and transportation, said the department decided to exempt from its new system Mexican citizens who frequently cross the border. The system, known as US VISIT, uses digital photographs and scanned fingerprints to record the entry and exit of foreign visitors.

"It's an interim solution," Hutchinson said. He added that the department plans to launch pilot programs at several land borders this year to study the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips in documents as a method to incorporate other border programs into US VISIT. The department received $330 million is fiscal 2004 to develop RFID technologies.

Hutchinson also said that "as technology increases," the department will "bring all border-crossing cards" into the US VISIT program.

An estimated 8 million Mexican citizens cross the border with laser visas, which are only granted after one-on-one interviews with U.S. consular officers and a $100 processing fee. The visitors can only stay 72 hours under the program.

Under a pending bill, H.R. 3488, Mexican residents could stay for six months. While Hutchinson declined to endorse the legislation, he said that as the department develops more technology to track the entry and exit of foreigners, it also will "look at extending the deadline."