STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers leveraged the Simplified Arrival process to detect an impostor to a Senegal passport and U.S. travel visa at Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday.
The traveler, who arrived from Ethiopia through Ireland, proceeded through Simplified Arrival where CBP’s biometric facial comparison process detected a potential mismatch between the traveler and photos on record of another person attached to the Senegal passport and U.S. travel visa.
After physically examining the man’s travel documents, CBP officers referred the individual to a secondary inspection, where a fingerprint examination revealed a mismatch between the imposter’s fingerprints and the fingerprints that the authentic passport owner submitted during the travel visa application. CBP officers determined that the man was an impostor to the travel documents he possessed. The traveler refused to admit his identity.
Posing as someone else when attempting to enter the United States is a serious violation of U.S. immigration law that may result in criminal prosecution. After a thorough investigation, criminal prosecution was not pursued and the man was ordered removed under administrative U.S. immigration law.
“Customs and Border Protection officers remain ever vigilant against the entry of travelers masquerading as others to deliberately circumvent our immigration laws and we are determined to not let that happen,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “CBP facilitates lawful international trade and travel and our border security mission is vital to ensure the safety and security of our nation, our economy, and our citizens.”
Since September 2018, CBP has used biometric facial comparison technology to identify nearly 300 impostors.
Simplified Arrival uses biometric facial comparison technology to automate the manual document inspections that already occur during the international arrivals process.
When arriving from overseas, travelers will pause for a photo at the CBP primary inspection area. In a matter of seconds, CBP’s biometric facial comparison technology will automatically match the new photo of the traveler to high-quality images that the traveler has already provided to the government, such as passport and visa photos.
Learn more about how CBP uses biometric facial comparison to secure our nation and ensure a safe and secure travel environment.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore and on Instagram at @dfobaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.