U.S. to Use Interpol Passport Database for Screening

The Washington Post ^ | May 06, 2007 | Spencer S. Hsu

[RDTF]

The Department of Homeland Security will begin using an Interpol database of stolen passports to screen foreign travelers later this year and is exploring whether to set up a unit at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, that would investigate any stolen documents the screeners turn up, officials said yesterday.

DHS expects to launch a 30-day pilot of the screening system at one U.S. airport by fall and, if it is successful, will expand the program nationwide immediately thereafter, department officials said.

After a meeting with DHS Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson, Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said Friday that he also asked U.S. officials to consider encouraging other nations to support a port and border security unit for following up on reports of stolen passports.

-snip-

Security officials have long regarded stolen travel documents as a virtual weapon in the hands of potential terrorists. They are particularly worried about the theft of blank passports that can be used to produce counterfeit versions and enable terrorists to cross international frontiers with little scrutiny.

They cite the case of Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Yousef entered the United States carrying a stolen Iraqi passport and seeking asylum. More recently, Mexican authorities in January arrested 11 Iraqis in Monterrey on their way to claim asylum in the United States. The group had eight passports that were among a batch of 850 passports stolen from Cyprus in 2003.

-snip-

Since 2001, Interpol has amassed a database of 6.7 million lost or stolen passports, including 2.8 million from visa-waiver countries. Through bilateral arrangements, DHS has access to 4.3 million records of stolen passports.

[Candor7]

This is very good news, and will go a long way to stopping duplicitous Mullahs and their running dogs,from saying one thing and doing another,while "touring" the USA.

Most travelling Mullahs and Islamofascist fundraisers have several passports from several countries, with slightly different names on each.

The Interpol Database will help a lot.