Revisiting US-VISIT: U.S. Immigration Processes, Concerns, and Consequences

In January 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security inaugurated a new system for tracking foreign visitors at Ports of entry to the United States, the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program. Building on previous RAND research and a case study of similar requirements in France in The 1980s and 1990s, this paper discusses policy issues raised by US-VISIT, including its effects on national security, privacy, and trade and tourism.