The European Union’s Implementation of a U.S.-Style Entry-Exit System

September 18, 2024

CNSI Blog

The European Union (EU) announced a final implementation date of November 10, 2024, for their Entry-Exit System (EES). In usual EU tradition, this announcement came almost a decade after being proposed by the European Commission and seven years after approval by the European Parliament. While at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), I helped build the U.S. version of this EU initiative to incorporate advanced biographic and in-person biometric security into the travel process; it is about time our European allies take advantage of advanced security options.

It was no small feat to retrofit our inbound passenger security systems after 9/11 to incorporate pre-flight vetting and biometric checks. At each stage of deployment, the U.S. was pressing the limits of what technology could do without adversely impacting the flow of legitimate traffic and tourism. I particularly remember when DHS flipped the switch in January of 2004 to require fingerprints of in-bound visa holders to confirm identity - luckily, the system held, and US-VISIT and our entry-exit program was born. Ironically, this 2004 implementation took almost the same duration as the EU's, considering that the original law requiring biometric collection was passed in 1996.

Later we incorporated pre-flight programs like the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to vet travelers via biographic information. These mandates raised the hackles of privacy hawks both in the EU and U.S., but these programs have tended to help distinguish legitimate travelers from imposters and those bad actors with similar names. I had the privilege of working as a government official with great leaders like Secretary Tom Ridge, Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson, CBP Commissioner Rob Bonner, US-VISIT Director Jim Williams, and many others to build these effective programs.

DHS subsequently morphed US-VISIT into the Office of Biometric Identity and Management (OBIM) in 2013. OBIM has built an impressive recordof utilizing biometric information in a host of use cases beyond traveler vetting, including criminal investigations, document fraud cases, aiding disaster response employment, and disaster victim identification.

While most travelers are comfortable with biometrics to speed their journey and secure their travel, privacy requirements should be tracked and evaluated. Ensuring governments meet their promises and provide appeal mechanisms for edge cases is a much better response to the power of biometrics than trying to stop the progress of technology.

Earlier this year we saw an attempt by libertarians in the U.S. Senate to block the Transportation Security Administration from further deploying biometrics in U.S. airports. A concerted effort by the travel and airline industries narrowly blocked this effort, but pro-privacy and anti-technology advocates won't go away for long.

In an era of increased mobility, biometrics and vetting are twin capabilities designed to separate the needles from the hay. As the EU noted in its announcement,“EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings, and does not allow a systematic detection of over-stayers.”

This analysis closely mirrors the remarks by DHS Secretary Ridge when US-VISIT was launched 20 years ago: “We want to keep our borders open. We are a welcoming country, but we want to secure the country as well. We want them to come to the United States to work, to visit, and to study, but we also need to make sure we have a record of who comes into the country and when they leave.”

The Council on National Security and Immigration hasidentified entry-exit implementation as a key priority for an effective immigration system. In CNSI’s principles, the group advocates for:

“International cooperation is also essential in maintaining a 21st century vetting and screening system. By cooperating with our foreign partners on information sharing and providing technical assistance, we can help our partners improve their vetting capabilities while helping secure the U.S. homeland. Strengthening our global relationships in this manner helps us better facilitate information and intelligence sharing with our global partners, preventing bad actors from entering the U.S. and helping us meet national security priorities.”

The days when viewing and stamping a paper document – literally a ‘pass’ at a ‘port’ – was sufficient border security is over. Nations around the world should double down on executing effective biometric and watchlist programs, and the EU should be congratulated for making the appropriate leap in November into this modern world of travel.