DHS to Share Immigration Data with Local Departments
Posted: August 21st, 2006 10:35 AM EDT By ERIK SCHELZIG Associated Press Writer The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to unveil an information-sharing program next month to give local law enforcement access to federal immigration data. Homeland Security and the FBI are working to electronically combine their records on criminal and immigration offenders, said Robert Mocny, acting director of the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program. The program's first initiative will be announced in September, and is expected to offer state and local law enforcement more access to immigration information, Mocny said on a panel discussing immigration issues at the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures last week. "What we hope this program will do is provide that one-stop shop, where you'll see that person's criminal and immigration history," Mocny said. Mocny said information sharing can be complicated by privacy concerns, and that interaction with state and local law enforcement will be handled by the U.S. Department of Justice. The US-VISIT program collects biometric information like fingerprints and digital photographs from foreigners seeking entry into the United States. The system is in place in 311 air and sea ports and U.S. consulates abroad, Mocny said. The program has led to the arrests of more than 1,350 wanted criminals, or people using false papers trying to enter the country. Those arrested include "murderers in California, drug couriers in Florida and an illegal alien who was in federal penitentiary and escaped," Mocny said. Mocny acknowledged that greater information sharing "sounds like something that should have been done long ago." But technological and administrative hurdles prevented much of that information sharing until the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said. The US-VISIT program applies to travelers between the ages of 14 and 79. "We tell people: 'We want you to come to the U.S., we want you visit our sights and our schools, but we want you to leave on time and respect our laws,'" Mocny said. http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1 <http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=32202> &id=32202 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
