Almost two years after it was required by law, DHS has submitted to Congress its strategic plan for the biometric border screening program US-VISIT. The airline industry objected Wednesday to having airlines rather than government employees oversee US-VISIT fingerscanning for those exiting the country.

Representing major airlines, the Air Transport Association (ATA) says DHS has decided to give airlines the responsibility for collecting fingerscans “without consultation with the airline industry.” ATA made the comment in a May 8 letter to President Bush’s homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend.

US-VISIT (the United States-Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program) gathers fingerscans and a digital photo from visa applicants with the aim of preventing terrorists and criminals from entering the country. It then collects biometrics on visitors to the United States to verify the identity of visa-holders. US-VISIT also applies to people from Visa Waiver Program countries, but not to U.S. citizens.

In its letter, ATA accuses DHS of planning to “wrongly delegate an inherently governmental, immigration and security-related function to the private sector.”

ATA argues check-in is not the best location for fingerscanning — “during or before the security screening at the airport, offers the most logical and least disruptive location,” according to the letter.

The DHS proposal could prevent travelers from using new online check-in, and approximately 30 percent of passengers check in online and that number is increasing, according to ATA.

“Perhaps more importantly, the U.S. government will be abdicating their role in the security/immigration process and damaging its integrity,” ATA says on its Web site.

C. Stewart Verdery Jr., former DHS assistant secretary for border and transportation security policy and planning, said in an interview that there are pros and cons to each of the possible locations for US-VISIT exit procedures at airports.

Verdery favors having the fingerscanning at TSA checkpoints as opposed to the DHS plan of adding the scans to the airline check-in process.

Placing US-VISIT fingerscanning at check-in is probably easier to integrate into existing systems, but it would take many years to get the airlines’ cooperation, he said. Putting US-VISIT exit procedures in place at TSA checkpoints could be done sooner, according to Verdery, president and founder of the Monument Policy Group.

On other occasions when DHS has had to negotiate new security procedures with airlines, it has led to long delays, Verdery noted.

An advantage of locating US-VISIT fingerscanning with TSA is that protocols are already in place between that agency and law enforcement, should a security risk necessitate the law enforcement involvement, he said.

But giving TSA the increased responsibilities could require a greater number of TSA employees, and lawmakers have resisted this in the past. It might also increase wait times, he added.

Implementing the air exit port of US-VISIT will allow DHS to better evaluate which countries meet the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program, Verdery said. VWP allows certain citizens of 27 countries to enter the U.S. without a visa.

It will also help detect people attempting to leave the country who have been put on watch-lists since they entered the country, he said.

US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny said in an interview he expects new US-VISIT exit procedures will be available at airports and seaports in 2008 or 2009.

In its fiscal 2007 US-VISIT expenditure plan, which includes the program’s strategic plan, DHS proposes to spend approximately $27 million “to begin the process of deploying its integrated air exit strategy and initial planning for the sea exit.”

“DHS is considering acquisition strategies and how best to support air carriers in their role,” such as through grants for equipment, it says.

“US-VISIT will also consider issuing a Request for Information (RFI) for additional scanning devices that would combine the collection of biometrics with a full page passport scanner,” it says.

DHS will use $93.9 million to gather 10 instead of two fingerprints under US-VISIT, and to further integrate government fingerprint databases.

Pilot testing of the10-print system “will begin late in 2007 to ten air locations,” the plan says.

DHS maintains that technology is not currently available to efficiently implement US-VISIT exit procedures at the land border.

“DHS has not yet determined a timeframe or cost estimates for initiation of land exit,” the plan says.

DHS expects that further land exit testing may be conducted in fiscal 2008.

“It is important to recognize that air, sea, and land ports were not designed for exit control. Unlike entry, there are currently no fixed inspection booths or other facilities to process international travelers as they leave the United States,” the plan explains.

A Homeland Security authorization bill (HR 1684) passed (296-126 ) by the House on Wednesday would block the transfer of US-VISIT to DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) if the department does not submit a strategic plan for US-VISIT to Congress, as required by the 2004 intelligence overhaul law (PL 108-458).

Bill sponsor Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., could not be reached at press time for comment on whether the US-VISIT strategic plan submitted by DHS meets the requirements of the intelligence law, or if he would continue to block the program’s move to NPPD.

Eleanor Stables can be reached at estables@cq.com.