Brazil to Strengthen Fingerprint Policy(response to USanti-terror measures

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Brazil-Fingerprinting.html

Brazil to Strengthen Fingerprint Policy
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 5:53 p.m. ET
BRASILIA (AP) -- The Brazilian government will issue an executive order strengthening a new policy of fingerprinting all U.S. visitors in response to anti-terror measures enforced by the United States, news reports said.

The new Brazilian measures have delayed U.S. travelers in airports for up to nine hours since Jan. 1. A judge ordered them after the United States announced it would begin fingerprinting travelers arriving from other countries, including Brazil.<snip>

A draft of the one-page order was made public by Globo.com, the web site of Rio de Janeiro's O Globo newspaper. The order also sets up a team of officials from the justice and foreign ministries to evaluate the procedures.

U.S. Customs, using digital technology, on Monday began photographing and taking fingerprints of arriving foreigners. The only exceptions are visitors from 27 countries -- mostly European nations -- whose citizens are allowed into the United States for up to 90 days without visas.

U.S. officials consider the Brazilian response discriminatory because it affects only American citizens. Tourism officials are worried it will discourage Americans from visiting.<snip>

[GRClarkesq]

1. I heard the current Brazilian procedure described as

a couples of snapshots and your fingerprints on blank piece of paper that you write your name on.

[peacebuzzard]

2. I heard the process was very medieval:.....

a lone clerk in a room pecking on a typewriter, and fiddling with the camera; meanwhile a 9 hour line deriving from the enormous jets docking in daily: 2 American jets from Miami and NY, Continental from Houston, Delta from Atlanta, United jets from Dulles, Miami and Chicago, as well as the few Americans on the Brazilian carriers Varig, VASP and TAM. That was the first day. And this is a daily event.
The report I read today in the Globo said the process would be undergoing reviews for 30 days to determine the procedure to be established. People I have heard from in Brazil do not believe the process to be lengthy, but they are not the ones to be subjected to the lines.
Anyways, it was enough to discourage my travel plans there. Don't get me wrong,....I understand the radical decision, someone, a Brazilian multinational businessperson or government official probably had their fill of abusive treatment in our own INS lines and had the right strings to pull to establish this reciprocal measures. Do not blame them. It is just another discouraging side result in this unilateral arrogant administration's execution of the Homeland Security and Patriot Act. Just another sideshow.
Hope they get it ironed out before their mardi gras.:*