Report Highlights Shortcomings in Biometric System Implementation

Last month, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a report underscoring the federal government’s failures to implement one of the key recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. This recommendation involves establishing a fully automated biometric entry-exit system for foreign travelers, which is aimed at preventing future terrorist attacks similar to those on September 11, 2001.

The 9/11 Commission Report suggested a variety of measures for Congress and presidential administrations to adopt, intending to avert a repeat of the 2001 attacks that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans across New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the hands of foreign terrorist hijackers.

On August 31, the committee produced their report detailing which recommendations had been executed, which had not yet been addressed, and which remain ongoing efforts for the government.

One of the most crucial recommendations continues to be the development of an automated biometric entry-exit system to screen and evaluate foreign nationals entering and exiting the United States.

“It would be irresponsible for the Committee to overlook the recommendations from the 9/11 Commission Report concerning the screening of foreign nationals,” the committee report, spearheaded by Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Jim Himes (D-CT), states.

The history of 9/11 itself illustrates how known terrorists were able to move freely across borders, avoiding screening measures, and manipulating identification documents to escape law enforcement.

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The Commission identified that up to 15 of the 19 hijackers could have potentially been intercepted by border authorities and noted, ‘Examining their travel documents and patterns might have led to intercepting between 4 and 15 hijackers, while better utilization of U.S. government database information could have detected up to 3 hijackers.’ The Commission also remarked that ‘the regular implementation of U.S. immigration laws influenced al Qaeda’s planning and opportunities.’

Since 9/11, Congress and presidential administrations have progressed in rolling out a biometric entry-exit system for foreign travelers. For instance, the Trump administration advanced regulations to empower the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect facial biometrics from all noncitizens upon their entry and exit at various points, including airports and land ports.

The committee acknowledges that while biometric systems are fully operational at air and sea ports as well as pedestrian land ports, there remains no complete implementation of a biometric exit system.

“Despite the efforts from Congress and the executive branch, the complete execution of the current biometric entry-exit framework has not been realized, primarily due to infrastructure and practical obstacles,” the committee states. “As a result, there is a persistent gap between the existing biographic entry-exit system and the biometric system envisioned by the 9/11 Commission.”