Department of Homeland Security officials are considering requiring European travelers to keep their fingerprints on file with the United States if they want to visit the country without a visa. The proposal is one of a series of measures being developed by the department's policy office in response to a growing fear that terrorism may originate in Western Europe rather than the Middle East. Requiring Europeans to register their fingerprints would minimize the chances of passport fraud, which security specialists believe is a growing danger. "We're moving to an area where international travelers' fingerprints are going to be part of their identifier," said Stewart Baker, assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security. Baker, whose office develops long-term homeland security policies, said a decision is not imminent on the proposal to require Europeans to register their fingerprints. But he is considering it as a way to protect against terrorists with European backgrounds. Currently, much of Europe is exempt from the rule that foreign visitors obtain a visa, which requires undergoing a background check, fingerprinting and a face-to-face interview. Originally designed to block illegal immigration, the U.S. visa system makes an exception for visitors from 27 affluent countries, mostly in Western Europe. As security concerns have shifted to terrorism, however, the risk from Europe has grown because of its large and poorly integrated Muslim population. Last year, Islamist extremists born in England bombed the London Underground, a Belgian woman who converted to Islam committed a suicide bombing in Iraq, and angry Muslim youths rioted across France for weeks. "Our visa waiver program was built on the assumption that the biggest worry we have about people who come here on tourist visa is that they may stay and take jobs, so the assumption was, for wealthy countries, we could afford to do without the visa process," Baker said. "The problem is, that's not the worst thing people can do now, and Al Qaeda has made no secret of its hope that it can recruit people who are Western." Indeed, some critics argued that the United States should require all Europeans to obtain visas to screen out potential terrorists. Visa officials can reject applicants who arouse suspicions during an interview, even if their papers are in order.
The proposal is one of a series of measures being developed by the department's policy office in response to a growing fear that terrorism may originate in Western Europe rather than the Middle East. Requiring Europeans to register their fingerprints would minimize the chances of passport fraud, which security specialists believe is a growing danger.
"We're moving to an area where international travelers' fingerprints are going to be part of their identifier," said Stewart Baker, assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security.
Baker, whose office develops long-term homeland security policies, said a decision is not imminent on the proposal to require Europeans to register their fingerprints. But he is considering it as a way to protect against terrorists with European backgrounds.
Currently, much of Europe is exempt from the rule that foreign visitors obtain a visa, which requires undergoing a background check, fingerprinting and a face-to-face interview. Originally designed to block illegal immigration, the U.S. visa system makes an exception for visitors from 27 affluent countries, mostly in Western Europe.
As security concerns have shifted to terrorism, however, the risk from Europe has grown because of its large and poorly integrated Muslim population. Last year, Islamist extremists born in England bombed the London Underground, a Belgian woman who converted to Islam committed a suicide bombing in Iraq, and angry Muslim youths rioted across France for weeks.
"Our visa waiver program was built on the assumption that the biggest worry we have about people who come here on tourist visa is that they may stay and take jobs, so the assumption was, for wealthy countries, we could afford to do without the visa process," Baker said. "The problem is, that's not the worst thing people can do now, and Al Qaeda has made no secret of its hope that it can recruit people who are Western."
Indeed, some critics argued that the United States should require all Europeans to obtain visas to screen out potential terrorists. Visa officials can reject applicants who arouse suspicions during an interview, even if their papers are in order.
German intelligence officials warn that European Islamic extremists returning home from fighting with insurgents in Iraq are a danger. Last year's London bombings, they say, are proof of the homegrown terrorist threat. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Heinz Fromm, the president of Germany's domestic intelligence service said that the highly unstable situation in Iraq poses a threat to European countries, including Germany. Fromm warned that the hundreds of European Muslims who have gone to Iraq to support Iraqi insurgents, and who then return to Europe, are a great concern to European security agencies. "These are people who embrace the Jihad ideology," Fromm said. "They can operate weapons and explosives professionally and they have no qualms about killing people. We would be well advised to keep a very close watch on these people if they should come to Germany." German intelligence officials have been concerned for some time that returning insurgents would consider it an honor to carry out attacks in western Europe in the name of the Iraqi al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al Zarqawi. "These terrorists are considered to be extremely dangerous, especially when returning from Iraq," said German terrorism expert, Elmar Thevessen. "The London bombings have shown that they can attack targets that are next to impossible to effectively protect."
Fromm warned that the hundreds of European Muslims who have gone to Iraq to support Iraqi insurgents, and who then return to Europe, are a great concern to European security agencies.
"These are people who embrace the Jihad ideology," Fromm said. "They can operate weapons and explosives professionally and they have no qualms about killing people. We would be well advised to keep a very close watch on these people if they should come to Germany."
German intelligence officials have been concerned for some time that returning insurgents would consider it an honor to carry out attacks in western Europe in the name of the Iraqi al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
"These terrorists are considered to be extremely dangerous, especially when returning from Iraq," said German terrorism expert, Elmar Thevessen. "The London bombings have shown that they can attack targets that are next to impossible to effectively protect."
McVeigh just broke the ground.
Oh, wait a minute. This new thing is proposing a background check? As if a non-US citizen is applying for a security clearance at a national lab or something... sheesh.
What bullshit! Not cool.
It's been happening to my Iranian friends for a while, but now they want to do it to everyone?
Sigh.
I was fingerprinted in France in the mid-'90's when I joined a French board. I don't know if this was required because I was not French, or if all French board members had this requirement. I remember being a little taken aback at that point, because I think it was the first time I had been fingerprinted. But I decided it was their country, and it seemed logical they could make their own decisions. If I didn't want to be fingerprinted that badly, I could not join the board.
angry Muslim youths rioted across France for weeks.
Do they know something about the events in France that our police services don't? (They came out with a report that specifically explained that the violence was not organised, was not motivated by religion, was not caused by known delinquants, and was just a big wave of anger at the economic and social situation of the youth in some of these neighboroods, but the thrill of being on TV)
So what's this got to do with terrorism? Sounds more like racism than anything else, or just another pretext to build an illusory "fortress America" and piss off the rest of the world. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
