CBP uses biometric technology to identify criminals

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – Thousands of people come into the U.S. daily through the ports of entry. Because of this, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been utilizing biometric technology to identify individuals.

When you come to the U.S. through land, a CBP field or operation officer, like those at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, will ask for your documentation.

Once they put your information in the computer, travelers look into a little camera that snaps a picture of you, asks where you are coming from and the reason behind your trip.

Within a few minutes, the officer should be able to identify the person coming into the country.

According to Rick Pauza with CBP, “We utilize the biometrics to identify your identity and citizenship. We also utilize that when we encounter imposter travel documents, and if we encounter wanted persons.“

This biometric facial recognition is used at all ports of entry, and after nearly five years, it’s become an essential tool for categorizing, storing and eventually catching criminals, foreign or not.

In Laredo, the technology was able to identify 35-year-old Juan Geronimo Hernandez for a felony warrant for an alleged sex offense involving a minor from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office.

Another person identified was 51-year-old Paciano Castillo Hernandez with a warrant for alleged aggravated sexual assault of a child out of San Antonio.

Many criminals like Juan Geronimo Hernandez and Paciano Castillo Hernandez have been stopped at different ports of entry like Del Rio and Progresso.

The Laredo Field Office, which covers South Texas, reports arresting about 2,400 people from all parts of the country each fiscal year. This is about seven people per day who are being detained at the border for prior crimes.

This security effort was passed by Congress in 1996, mandating the creation of a biographic entry and exit system.

The system became a requirement for the agency after 9/11, and for travelers, it’s an additional step for them to take before entering the U.S.

Over 200 million identities are enrolled in the database connected to the ports of entry. This makes the process easy to identify people who are wanted across the county.

Additionally, these biometrics are used when you travel in planes, boats and vehicles, and CBP continues to work together with other law enforcement agencies to secure the ports of entry.

To see more information about the biometrics at ports of entry in air, land and sea, click here.

For more headlines, click here.

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