Illegal migrants beware

[NewsWhore]

US Coast Guard is using biometrics to identify illegal immigrants. On 14 November, the department announced that the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Matinicus repatriated 29 Dominican migrants to La Romana on Tuesday, while another seven Dominican migrants were detained for prosecution by the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Cushing, following three at-sea interdictions on Monday and Sunday. The Coast Guard says that the new Biometrics at Sea pilot program in effect since 2006 in the Mona Passage has helped reduce illegal migration by 50%. The program will be extended to Florida waters in 2008. The program collects biometric information from illegal migrants who are intercepted while attempting to enter Puerto Rico from the DR. The US Coast Guard compares the digital fingerprints and photographs of illegal migrants against the US-VISIT database in Washington D.C., which includes information about wanted criminals, immigration violators and anyone who has encountered government authorities in the past. This process takes just three to five minutes. People who try to enter United States and its territories illegally are prosecuted under US law. As reported in Listin Diario, statistics show that about 5,000 migrants still try to make it to PR illegally, down from 10,000 a year ago.

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