US-VISIT kicks off with Rochford Thompson passport scanners

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented US-VISIT on January 5, 2004 at 115 air and 15 sea ports of entry to the country. The US-VISIT program (United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology) is a cornerstone of the Department’s goals to improve border management at all ports of entry.

Scanning equipment from Rochford Thompson is used at all of the entry ports now compliant to collect machine-readable information from passports, and is integrated with capture of biometric data (fingerprints and photograph).

“All of these entry and exit procedures address our critical need for tighter security and our commitment to expedite travel for the millions of legitimate visitors we welcome each year to conduct business, learn, see family or tour the country” said Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary of Border & Transportation Security of the Department of Homeland Security (program announcement October 28, 2003).

US-VISIT will be extended to cover the 50 most highly trafficked land ports of entry by December 31, 2004 and all ports of entry by December 31, 2005.

January 2004

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"Today, I am proud to launch US-VISIT, a new national program to help secure our borders and facilitate legitimate travel and trade. US-VISIT will allow Customs and Border Protection officers to focus on at-risk travellers while speeding the entry of everyone else, and at the same time, the program will protect the integrity of our immigration system by confirming a visitor's identity and ensuring they adhere to our visa policies."

Tom Ridge, DHS Secretary