The Department of Homeland Security launched test programs at the end of May at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to scan the fingerprints of foreign nationals as they leave the country.
The DHS already collects fingerprints from arriving visitors under the US-Visit program, but needs to develop a system to check visitors as they depart, to verify that they have not overstayed their visas.
The 35-day test will try to determine whether the Transportation Security Administration or Customs and Border Protection should operate the checkpoints. Noticeably absent from the testing program are the airlines, which have been battling to stave off DHS attempts to make the carriers do the job as passengers check in.
