Marking a new beginning toward deploying biometric exit procedures for international travelers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has started collecting biometrics-digital fingerprints from non-U.S. citizens departing U.S. as part of a pilot program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The departing non-U.S. citizens from Atlanta and Detroit airports must have their biometrics collected before boarding their flights. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will collect biometrics at the boarding gate from non-U.S. citizens departing from Detroit and for non-U.S. citizens departing from Atlanta, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers will collect biometrics at security checkpoints. Until early June, these pilots are expected to continue. Non-U.S. citizens departing US from all other ports of entry will have to follow current exit procedures.

For detailed information, please read: DHS Starts Collecting Biometric Fingerprints at Airports in Atlanta and Detroit

In line with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s pledge to prosecute employers knowingly hiring alien workers in violation of law, three Kansas City area employment firms have been charge allegedly for smuggling hundreds of foreign workers into the country to work illegally as “modern day slaves.” The indictment clearly indicates Obama administration’s intention to shift the focus of immigration enforcement away from undocumented employees to the employer. According to reports The Kansas City Star, smuggled workers were not only stripped of most of their wages, but forced to pay huge fees to the employment firm, making it impossible for them to leave or buy a ticket to fly home. Jame Gibbons, acting special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said “The indictment alleges that this criminal enterprise lure victims to the Unites States under the guise of legitimate jobs and a better life, only to treat them as modern day slaves under the threat of deportation.”

For detailed information, please read: Indictment of Kansas City Employment Firms Depict Shift on Immigration Policy

The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has released the details of questions posed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) along with the answers discussed at the March 19, 2009, meeting held at USCIS headquarters for general public information. Questions asked by AILA covered multitude of issues pertaining to USCIS enacted policies, regulations and adjudication transparency.

During the meeting, AILA expressed its gratitude over the recent directive issued by President Barack Obama and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Secretary Janet Napolitano relating to transparency in government and critical missions of the DHS.

For detailed information, please read: USCIS Circulates AILA Meeting Q&A Details