Bill Would Expand Homeland Security's Collection Of Biometric Information

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Bill Would Expand Homeland Security's Collection Of Biometric Information

Published on 02-02-2009

A new bill proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a program in the maritime environment for the mobile biometric identification of suspected individuals including terrorists. The federal government has been using the excuse of fighting terrorists to incrementally expand the usage of biometric identification for quite awhile now, and this is just another step into expanding the adoption of this technology. It is not a stretch to believe that if something like this is implemented for the purposes of fighting terrorists out in the oceans, that eventually it would be utilized inside the United States for domestic policing purposes. After all, former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff thought it would be a great idea to setup an internal checkpoint within the state of Vermont to search for drug dealers and terrorists. Not to mention they’ve already setup the US-VISIT program which mandates that many non-U.S. citizens visiting the United States submit to biometric identification in order to gain entry. Below is the entire text of HR 752 which would require the Department of Homeland Security to expand their biometric identification program. To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a program in the maritime environment for the mobile biometric identification of suspected individuals, including terrorists, to enhance border security. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. MARITIME BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION. (a) In General- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Commandant of the Coast Guard, shall conduct, in the maritime environment, a program for the mobile biometric identification of suspected individuals, including terrorists, to enhance border security and for other purposes. (b) Requirements- The Secretary shall ensure the program described in subsection (a) is coordinated with other biometric identification programs within the Department of Homeland Security. (c) Cost Analysis- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an analysis of the cost of expanding the Coast Guard’s biometric identification capabilities for use by the Coast Guard’s Deployable Operations Group, cutters, stations, and other deployable maritime teams considered appropriate by the Secretary, and any other appropriate Department of Homeland Security maritime vessels and units. The analysis may include a tiered plan for the deployment of the program described in subsection (a) that gives priority to vessels and units more likely to encounter individuals suspected of making unlawful border crossings through the maritime environment. (d) Definition- For the purposes of this section, the term ‘biometric identification’ means the use of fingerprint and digital photography images. There is no question that the Department of Homeland Security is attempting to put as much biometric information from people into computer databases. This bill would expand their ability to obtain additional biometric information. Most people won’t object to this since it the excuse to implement this expansion has to do with border security. None the less, it is clear that this is yet another case of the federal government attempting to utilize more and more of this technology that could ultimately be used to enslave humanity using the phony terror war hoax as the pretext. Source: www.roguegovernment.com By - Lee Rogers