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House passes border security bill

The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill that would give the Immigration and Naturalization Service an additional $150 million to "improve technology, expand the use of technology that improves border security, and to facilitate the flow of commerce at ports of entry by improving and expanding programs for pre-enrollment and preclearance." The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, which has already been approved by the Senate, is expected to be signed by President Bush soon. Among other things, the bill would require the State Department by October 2004 to issue tamper-resistant and machine-readable visas that use biometric identifiers. The INS must install biometric scanners at all ports of entry by the same date.

Margaret Kane Former Staff writer, CNET News
Margaret is a former news editor for CNET News, based in the Boston bureau.
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Margaret Kane
The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously approved a bill that would give the Immigration and Naturalization Service an additional $150 million to "improve technology, expand the use of technology that improves border security, and to facilitate the flow of commerce at ports of entry by improving and expanding programs for pre-enrollment and preclearance."

The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, which has already been approved by the Senate, is expected to be signed by President Bush soon. Among other things, the bill would require the State Department by October 2004 to issue tamper-resistant and machine-readable visas that use biometric identifiers. The INS must install biometric scanners at all ports of entry by the same date.