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Identity Management, Document Authentication and Biometric Companies Form "The
Airport Entry and Exit Working Group", Releasing the Framework to Help Guide the
Department of Homeland Security and Congress Towards Solutions
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Secure Identity & Biometrics
Association (SIBA) and the Security Industry Association today jointly announce
the formation of The Airport Entry and Exit Working Group and release of its
Identity and Biometric Entry and Exit Solutions Framework for Airports
(Framework). The Framework received official support from BORDERPOL, the
international non-profit organization that works directly with governments to
improve and provide expertise regarding border security, traveler and migration
systems.
The purpose of the Framework is to support the important work of the Department
of Homeland Security's Apex Air Entry and Exit Re-Engineering (DHS AEER) Project
as a key stakeholder, and urges Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deploy a
cost-effective and efficient airport biometric exit program that adheres to 16
years of federal statutory mandates with Congressional oversight and funding.
Speaking to the urgency of a comprehensive biometric entry-exit immigration
system, Working Group member James Chaparro, former DHS Deputy Undersecretary
for Intelligence and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant
Director for Intelligence, and currently Executive Vice President of Strategy at
SE Solutions, said this about the urgency of implementing biometric exit now:
"Terrorist threats we face at our borders and ports of entry continue to evolve
and both lawful and unlawful pressures on our borders continue to increase.
Better processes to facilitate travel but assure against illegal entry, and good
data on overstays, are essential to keep our country safe. Our nation cannot
afford to rely on antiquated technology and processes to secure our borders, and
improving our biometric entry and exit screening processes should be a top
priority in our efforts keep our nation safe."
The Framework makes clear that the implementation of airport biometric exit
program and improvements to biometric entry processes are not only doable and
capable of meeting essential border control criteria, but are long overdue.
Janice Kephart, SIBA CEO and a former border counsel to the 9/11 Commission who
testified before House Judiciary in November 2013 on the subject, stated the
reasons for creating a Working Group and drafting the Framework:
"SIBA's members are innovators of solutions that protect and secure identity
across private and public platforms. The Working Group we have formed includes
innovators that have worked with DHS for years on identity solutions, and others
responsible for deploying huge biometric border systems overseas. These are the
people that know how to develop and deploy holistic identity and biometric
solutions that meet the demands of the traveling public, national security and
privacy. It is pivotal that the Department of Homeland Security properly engage
the Airport Entry and Exit Working Group now so the best biometric entry-exit
solutions can be deployed as quickly as possible."
Don Erickson, CEO of SIA, whose mission is act as a primary resource for the
global security industry, said this about the formation of the Working Group and
release of the Framework: "The security industry has a long history of working
with other stakeholders to provide technology solutions addressing border
security and immigration issues. I am hopeful that formation of the Working
Group will foster the kind of productive public-private sector partnership that
is essential to solving our nation's most pressing challenges."
The Working Group is, in addition to SIBA and SIA, the following private sector
companies: 3M Company, Abanacle Corp., Accenture Federal Services, Animetrics,
Aware, Inc., Deloitte & Touche, LLP, Document Security Systems (on behalf of the
Document Security Alliance), HID Global, Iris ID Systems, L-3 Communications,
MorphoTrak (Safran), Pro-Qual IT, Secure Planet, SE Solutions, SITA (Aero),
SpeechPro, and Vision-Box.
Contact: Janice Kephart, SIBA CEO Email 703-581-7721
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