B-VERIFY Act Would Collect Biometric Data from Foreign Nationals
In an effort to rein in the mounting havoc at the southern border, Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) recently introduced the Biometric Verification for Entry and Reconfirming Identity with Forensics Act of 2022 (B-VERIFY Act).
This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its component agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to collect biometric data from any foreign national seeking to enter the U.S. through the Southwest border or attempting to obtain an immigration benefit.
The B-VERIFY Act comes at an opportune time when large numbers of illegal aliens attempt to sneak into the U.S every day, many of whom come from unknown backgrounds and/or possess false identification documents.
Rep Gooden’s bill would increase biometric collection methods to include palmprints, facial recognition, a handwritten signature, a voice print, an iris image, or DNA tests that establish a genetic relationship. Currently, biometric data collection efforts are limited to only fingerprints and photographs.
Expanding biometric data screening methods would help authorities better detect aliens who falsely claim another identity, as facial recognition and DNA testing have proven to be more accurate in verifying an individual’s information. As FAIR has pointed out, fingerprints and photographs can be manipulated to provide sufficient cover to alien fraudsters.
The B-VERIFY Act would also help determine familial ties between alleged alien parents and children appearing as family units by taking DNA samples to determine a match. This would help CBP identify human smugglers, sex traffickers, and illegal aliens falsely claiming a parental connection to children to enter the U.S. since family units have a greater chance of being released into the country than single adults.
Moreover, the B-VERIFY Act would help crack down on asylum fraud. By gathering the biometric data of foreign nationals, authorities could determine if an alien has filed a previous meritless asylum claim, as their physical information would show their history with immigration authorities.
FAIR President Dan Stein said of the introduced legislation, “The Biden administration’s abandonment of immigration enforcement has led to chaos at our Southwest border. Congressman Gooden’s B-VERIFY Act proposes bringing some measure of order to our border agents by empowering them to collect the biometric data of illegal aliens for the purposes of immigration enforcement – giving our immigration officials the tools they need to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking.”
Now is the time to modernize our vetting mechanisms at the southern border. If federal officeholders want to bolster our national security, they would be pushing for this bill that gives our border and immigration officials another tool in their arsenal to keep our nation secure.
Enacting legislation that tightens our border security by confirming the identities of migrants, including criminals, foreign intelligence operatives, asylum fraudsters, and terrorists, should be a bipartisan effort.