Access Control
& Security Systems

President Bush has signed the Border Security Bill that passed through both houses of Congress by unanimous votes. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) called it "the most important bill passed post-Sept. 11."

The following are excerpts from President Bush's statement prior to signing the bill, as well as excerpts from a statement by House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt.

From President Bush: "Our borders process an incredibly huge number of people. It may come as a surprise, but over 500 million people a year enter America, and half of those are our own citizens that may have been traveling. We have 11 million trucks come across our borders. We have 51,000 foreign ships call into our ports. It reminds us that no nation can be totally secure, or more secure, unless we're well-protected, and unless our borders are well-screened.

"We must use technology and be wise about how we use technology, to speed the flow of commerce across our borders, and to identify frequent travelers who pose no risk.

"[This bill] authorizes 400 additional inspectors, investigators, and other staff on the INS over the next five years. It requires every foreign visitor desiring entrance into the United States to carry a travel document containing biometric identification -- that would be fingerprints or facial recognition -- that will enable us to use technology to better deny fraudulent entry into America."

Said Gephardt: "This legislation will close existing gaps in our border security by upgrading visa and border-crossing technology, expanding our law enforcement capabilities and allowing critical information to be shared among the agencies involved in our Homeland security.

For a closer look at the border security bill, follow this link:

http://industryclick.com/magnewsarticle.asp?newsarticleid=317061&magazineid=119&SiteID=24

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• An Enterprise Approach
• The Framework For Open Systems
• On A Higher Plane
• More from April's issue