The Department of Homeland Security has added Eastport to the ports of entry that will utilize “biometric procedures” for certain visitors from Canada as part of the US-Visit program.
US-Visit applies to “all visitors who apply for entry with a nonimmigrant visa, including those using a Border Crossing Card to travel beyond the border zone or for more than 30 days, or under the Visa Waiver program,” said spokesman Cynthia Obas.
As part of the process, Customs and Border Protection Officers “collect digital, inkless finger scans and take a digital photo of the visitor,” Obas said. She added that the equipment is portable so that, as an example, officers will be able to carry out the procedures on the beach ferry landing during the summer Deer Island, New Brunswick, to Eastport ferry runs.
The Eastport program was implemented Oct. 26. Eastport was one of seven new ports of entry using the procedure. The others were border communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.