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have overstayed their visas.
Privacy issues were a concern throughout the test
as current law prohibits the capture or storage of
U.S. citizens’ iris or facial biometrics. The Otay
Mesa project began last December.
Iris ID kiosks equipped with
fully-automatic iris-face capture
capabilities at the Otay Mesa
Border Crossing
CBP agents were stationed at in-bound lanes
checking
pedestrians’
credentials such as passports, visas or enhanced
driver’s licenses to separate foreigners and U.S.
citizens. Most visa packages carried by foreign visitors also include the
person’s fingerprints.
During a first inbound visit, agents directed foreigners to one of five kiosks equipped with a fully-automatic iris-face capture system. The unit self-adjusts
to a user’s height to simultaneously capture an iris
and face image at distances of about two feet.
Individuals were asked to remove hats and/or
scarfs, but glasses could remain on. Motivated,
cooperative subjects completed enrollment in five
seconds or less. Software digitized and encrypted
the images for storage in a standalone, onsite CBP
database. Once a pedestrian completed the process there was no need to repeat it. During future
visits in-lane cameras captured their images for
comparison to those in the onsite database.
In addition to U.S. citizens – required since 2009
to present a passport or enhanced state driver’s
license to re-enter the country – foreigners under
the age of 14 or older than 79 were exempted from
the collection of biometric data.
Officials wanted to see how effective the technology could be with pedestrians receiving minimal instructions, while moving quickly through the checkpoint. Still, signs, lights and videos helped direct
pedestrians to and explained the use of the kiosks.
According to one CBP official, many pedestrians
were slow to comply with the new regulations. Jo-
July-Aug 2016 Edition
seph Misenhelter, CBP’s assistant port director for
the Otay Mesa passenger crossing, said about 80
percent of the adult foreigners were regular border
crossers.
Iris ID kiosk iris-face identity
recognition processing
“They did what they had
done every other time —
they proceeded directly
to one of our officers,”
he said. Misenhelter
spoke in mid-July to a
group of security professionals at a meeting of
the San Diego chapter
of ASIS International.
He said CBP added an
agent at each kiosk to
ensure protocol was followed. By using agents only on the morning and
late afternoon peak crossing times, the agency
was able to reduce some of the added expense.
In February, the identification process was extended to the outbound pedestrian lanes. Foreigners could be asked to continue moving at normal
speed past cameras without removing hats or other outwear; stop briefly in front of an iris reader; or
pause before another kiosk capturing iris & facial
data. U.S. citizens and young and elderly foreigners could continue into Mexico without delay.
The test wasn’t designed for optimal data gathering. It was set in a high-stress environment with
varying weather conditions, bright sunlight and distractions such as three lanes of motor vehicle traffic adjacent to the pedestrian lanes.
“We wanted to see what the reliability of these various technologies would be in an outdoor environment,” said Misenhelter. “Could we allow people to
keep their hats and glasses on?”
He said he couldn’t comment on the accuracy or
effectiveness of any technology used in the pilot
project until the evaluation is complete. But Misenhelter said a significant number of pedestrians
looked away during the iris/face capture process.
There were no penalties or delays for not cooperating. All pedestrians were given a green light to proceed even if the data capture failed. Making continued passage contingent on cooperation could
remedy non-compliance.
Misenhelter also said the CBP initially expected the
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