![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peteryoung
Rather pleased, not only that ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dougs made it through the situational minefield that is currently hassling travellers to Washington, but that he did it in greater comfort aswell. I love it when things go right like this. Have a wunnerful time with scarlatti.
My arrival in Philadelphia, however, was rather less enjoyable...
Very few passengers, boring flight, but in my job Boring Is Good. No sky marshals, but I'm sure that will be different on tomorrow's flight to JFK.
Queueing up to go through US immigration at Philadelphia on New Year's Eve, we all noticed some curious new devices sitting atop the Immigration officer's desk, namely an electronic fingerprint machine and a digital camera. We raise our eyes to heaven and start fuming immediately, as we had not been advised in time by BA of this latest imposition. It's called US-Visit, another of Ashcroft's Orwellian intiatives in Total Information Awareness, and requires all holders of US Visas to provide biometric information. The Immigration Officer looked hassled but was very patient, despite having to explain for the nth time to yet another pissed off crew member what this humiliation was all about. He accepts I have some legitimate concerns re. human rights and the possible future use of this information that I must provide, but at the end of the day he's just doing his job. If I don't submit to this, I can't enter the US, and therefore I can't do my job. Fuck.
I could winge and fume about this at length here, but to put it in perspective, it's as nothing compared to the humiliation my BA colleagues who were born in Arab or Indian sub-continent countries have had to endure when they have entered the US since early 2003... not only are they fingerprinted and photographed, but often have been interviewed for two hours, with their address books photocopied for cross-referencing of names, details and phone numbers - you get the picture, and I promise it is no exaggeration - and then left after a long flight to find their own way to the hotel.
So anyway, it's my turn. I grudgingly dab the glass screen with both index fingers.
In short, my prints bust the machine.
The Immigration Officer's computer screen flashes a mis-match of my fingerprints. I'm immediately suspect. I am hurriedly bundled off into a side office, where I am asked to wait. I wait fifteen minutes, and I know my crew outside must be getting worried, this is most irregular. Finally another officer comes along, takes me to another office, asks me to sit down. "Your name? ...And you're a British citizen?" I sit and wait patiently, somewhat bemused. How can there be a mis-match of my fingerprints if I've never provided them before, I ask him. "I have no idea what the problem is," he says, "we'll get to the bottom of this together, shall we?" He makes a couple of phone calls. He is asked have I entered the US before. "Millions of times, he's a crew member." Then to me: "Wait here."
Another ten minutes go by. Finally he returns, still on the phone, saying, "So we can let this nice man go free? OK." Relief. "Sorry about this. Happy New Year, sorry to inconvenience you."
"Sorry I bust your machine," I lie. He grins, shakes my hand.
We all go out and hit about five very loud Philly bars, somehow staying up ’til 1.30am. A rather drunk night was had by all.
Must make sure I don't change my fingerprints when I go through the whole thing again in New York tomorrow. Ashcroft, you bastard, you've got a lot to answer for.
dougs made it through the situational minefield that is currently hassling travellers to Washington, but that he did it in greater comfort aswell. I love it when things go right like this. Have a wunnerful time with scarlatti.My arrival in Philadelphia, however, was rather less enjoyable...
Very few passengers, boring flight, but in my job Boring Is Good. No sky marshals, but I'm sure that will be different on tomorrow's flight to JFK.
Queueing up to go through US immigration at Philadelphia on New Year's Eve, we all noticed some curious new devices sitting atop the Immigration officer's desk, namely an electronic fingerprint machine and a digital camera. We raise our eyes to heaven and start fuming immediately, as we had not been advised in time by BA of this latest imposition. It's called US-Visit, another of Ashcroft's Orwellian intiatives in Total Information Awareness, and requires all holders of US Visas to provide biometric information. The Immigration Officer looked hassled but was very patient, despite having to explain for the nth time to yet another pissed off crew member what this humiliation was all about. He accepts I have some legitimate concerns re. human rights and the possible future use of this information that I must provide, but at the end of the day he's just doing his job. If I don't submit to this, I can't enter the US, and therefore I can't do my job. Fuck.
I could winge and fume about this at length here, but to put it in perspective, it's as nothing compared to the humiliation my BA colleagues who were born in Arab or Indian sub-continent countries have had to endure when they have entered the US since early 2003... not only are they fingerprinted and photographed, but often have been interviewed for two hours, with their address books photocopied for cross-referencing of names, details and phone numbers - you get the picture, and I promise it is no exaggeration - and then left after a long flight to find their own way to the hotel.
So anyway, it's my turn. I grudgingly dab the glass screen with both index fingers.
In short, my prints bust the machine.
The Immigration Officer's computer screen flashes a mis-match of my fingerprints. I'm immediately suspect. I am hurriedly bundled off into a side office, where I am asked to wait. I wait fifteen minutes, and I know my crew outside must be getting worried, this is most irregular. Finally another officer comes along, takes me to another office, asks me to sit down. "Your name? ...And you're a British citizen?" I sit and wait patiently, somewhat bemused. How can there be a mis-match of my fingerprints if I've never provided them before, I ask him. "I have no idea what the problem is," he says, "we'll get to the bottom of this together, shall we?" He makes a couple of phone calls. He is asked have I entered the US before. "Millions of times, he's a crew member." Then to me: "Wait here."
Another ten minutes go by. Finally he returns, still on the phone, saying, "So we can let this nice man go free? OK." Relief. "Sorry about this. Happy New Year, sorry to inconvenience you."
"Sorry I bust your machine," I lie. He grins, shakes my hand.
We all go out and hit about five very loud Philly bars, somehow staying up ’til 1.30am. A rather drunk night was had by all.
Must make sure I don't change my fingerprints when I go through the whole thing again in New York tomorrow. Ashcroft, you bastard, you've got a lot to answer for.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 02:27 am (UTC)You know (probably better than I do) that in short order Blunkett is planning to pander to the US by forcing us to have biometric data on our passports? Am planning to renew early to avoid this for 10 years...
no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 06:03 am (UTC)This requirement was passed into US law in October 2001, so it will have been known about for three years before it goes into effect ... at the moment it looks like only the Australians will have new passports in time.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 11:41 am (UTC)Sorry, you're right
Date: 2004-01-09 07:25 am (UTC)According to the US Embassy in London (www.usembassy.org.uk) (and note, it starts off saying "you need a new passport" and then does a switchback at the end to say "but you can use your old one until it expires"!)
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 2002 does require that all persons traveling visa free to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program have a biometric chip identifier in their passport by October 26, 2004. Those travelers who use passports issued after October 26, 2004, that do not contain a biometric identifier, will be required to obtain a U.S. visa. That visa will contain biometric information. Those UK travelers who use machine-readable passports lacking a biometric chip but issued before October 26, 2004 will be able to continue to use the Visa Waiver Program until that passport expires.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 03:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 10:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 07:02 am (UTC)Sorry about the hard time you had.
I got the webcam but no fingerprint machine. (Visa waiver)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 11:59 pm (UTC)Hah! That's funny. Or would be were it not so worrying.
But, no, it's funny. Ah, the joy, the joy - I'm so looking forward to travelling to the US again... especially the bit where I have to explain what the viruses I'm carrying are for.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 06:08 am (UTC)But perhaps there are exceptions for flight crew (since I assume you don't enter using a green VWP form?) as higher security risks?
They claim the biometrics have only a 1/10th of 1 percent false positive rate ... but that there are 50 million visitors a year to the US (or 250 million according to a different TV station!) so 1/10th of 1 percent is 1 in a 1000, or one person for every two jumbos (probably one person per three 777s?) or dozens per day in each major airport (50,000 per year is 137 a day!)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-09 07:36 am (UTC)As a holder of two US visas, one of them has to apply every time I enter the country, therefore fingerprints are required. I think it's only a matter of time before they scrap Visa Waiver altogether.