Pakistanis living in the United States, who have criticised new anti-terror laws as discriminatory, on Monday welcomed a new system of fingerprinting and photographing some foreigners arriving at US airports, reports a news agency.
The scheme, covering visitors who need visas to enter the United States will, according to the authorities, ensure that US borders remain "open to visitors but closed to terrorists." Faiz Rehman, president of the National Council of Pakistani Americans said the system was fairer than other laws that have required Pakistanis and nationals of selected other nations living in the United States to register with the authorities. "The new fingerprint program is less discriminatory which does not just target Muslim visitors. It is clearly not anti-immigrants," he said. But Rehman said his Washington-based civil rights and education group, was concerned that some visitors would be deterred from travelling to the United States, fearing delays brought on by stepped-up security. "We hope the new program will be as visitor-friendly as it is promised to be," he said.
An estimated 23 million people from countries where visas are required for US visits will this year have to give a digital fingerprint and have a photograph taken under the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US-VISIT.
Only 28 countries are exempt, mainly European countries, Japan and Australia. |
