Biometric Sharing Initiative: Making the World Safer

Known or suspected terrorists. Transnational criminals. Both threaten not only U.S. security but the security of nations around the world.

One way to help reduce this threat is for nations to share fingerprints and other kinds of biometric information on terrorist-related subjects and international criminals who’ve had previous brushes with law enforcement. Here in the U.S., the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division—through its Foreign Biometric Exchange program— serves as the centralized collection point for foreign fingerprint records and other biometric data.

Actually, the Bureau has been exchanging fingerprints internationally for nearly 80 years (see previous story), primarily in criminal matters. But after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, the U.S. Attorney General specifically directed the FBI to obtain and maintain fingerprints and other biometrics for known and suspected terrorists processed by foreign law enforcement agencies. We then expanded the initiative to include international criminals, who, like terrorists, routinely cross national borders to commit their crimes and often use aliases.

The Foreign Biometric Exchange program is coordinated by CJIS’s Global Initiatives Unit. Says Gary Wheeler, who heads up the unit, “Our mission is two-fold—in addition to collecting and analyzing the data we receive, we also offer assistance to nations who want to develop their own automated biometric systems that meet international standards.” To accomplish both tasks, unit personnel work with our International Operations Division at FBI headquarters, our legal attaché officers overseas, and sometimes INTERPOL and other U.S. federal agencies. 

How it all works

If a nation is interested in participating, we first assess its fingerprint capabilities through surveys and on-site visits. Then we determine what, if any, assistance we can provide in terms of equipment—like mobile fingerprint devices—and training in areas like basic fingerprinting and identification, crime scene preservation, and latent print collection.

Once we begin receiving data from a global partner—either in batches or on a case-by-case basis—we run their fingerprints (both known and unknown) against our Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). Currently, IAFIS contains records of approximately 67 million criminal subjects, including known or suspected terrorists, military detainees, and international criminals.

If there’s a match in IAFIS, we notify the submitting nation. If there’s no match, a new IAFIS record can be created and included in future searches requested by international, national, and perhaps most importantly, local law enforcement officers who are our first line of defense against threats to public safety.

Since 2002, the Global Initiatives Unit has developed relationships with more than 50 countries and has received over 450,000 biometric records that have been added to IAFIS.

Success Story: Mexico

Earlier this year, CJIS provided fingerprints belonging to more than 200 FBI fugitives with violent criminal histories for comparison against the Mexico fingerprint system; in return, Mexico provided nearly 100 prints relating to high-ranking drug cartel members and prison escapees to be run against the FBI’s IAFIS.

The results? Of the records provided by the FBI to Mexico, nearly 20 percent of the fugitives had previously been arrested in Mexico, while more than a quarter of the records Mexico provided to the FBI revealed existing U.S. records.

And in the past couple of years—while working specific cases involving fingerprint exchanges—we’ve returned to Mexico dangerous fugitives who fled to the U.S., including two men wanted separately for child murders, one wanted for rape and murder, and five escapees from a Mexican prison.

7 additional Missouri counties to benefit from ICE program to enhance identification and removal of aliens convicted of a crime

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday began using the Secure Communities program in the following seven Missouri counties: Douglas, Howell, Laclede, Oregon, Ozark, Pulaski and Texas. Secure Communities helps federal immigration officials identify criminal aliens in state prisons and local jails by running their fingerprints against federal immigration databases when they are booked into the system.

"Secure Communities enhances public safety by enabling ICE to identify and remove criminal aliens more efficiently and effectively from the United States," said Secure Communities Acting Assistant Director Marc Rapp. "As we expand ICE's use of biometric information sharing nationwide, we are helping to keep communities safe and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system."

With the expansion of Secure Communities to these seven counties, ICE is using this capability in 35 Missouri jurisdictions. Across the country, ICE is using this capability in 1,211 jurisdictions in 41 states. Since ICE began using this enhanced information-sharing capability in October 2008, Secure Communities has resulted in removing more than 72,000 criminal aliens - more than 26,000 of whom were convicted of violent crimes, such as murder, rape, kidnapping and the sexual abuse of children. ICE continues to work with its law enforcement partners across the country to responsibly and effectively implement Secure Communities and plans to reach complete nationwide deployment by 2013.

Prior to the implementation of Secure Communities, fingerprints taken of individuals charged with a crime and booked into state or local custody were checked for criminal history information against the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal history records. Once Secure Communities is activated in a jurisdiction, the fingerprints that jurisdiction submits to DOJ's biometric system to check for criminal history records are also automatically sent to DHS' biometric system to check against its immigration law enforcement records. When a match is discovered, ICE evaluates the specific case to determine the individual's immigration status and takes appropriate enforcement action. ICE prioritizes removing criminal aliens convicted of the most serious crimes such as major drug offenses, murder, rape and kidnapping. ICE also gives high priority to other threats to public safety, such as aliens with known gang affiliations, drunk driving arrests, or fugitives, or those who frequently try to game the immigration system.

The biometric systems are maintained by DHS's US-VISIT program and the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS).

"US-VISIT is proud to support ICE by providing comprehensive, reliable information to assist in the smart and effective enforcement of our immigration laws," said US-VISIT Director Robert Mocny. "By enhancing the interoperability of DHS's and the FBI's biometric systems, we are helping federal, state and local government better protect our communities and our nation."

"Under this federal information-sharing initiative, ICE will be utilizing FBI system enhancements that allow improved information sharing at the state and local law enforcement level based on positive identification of incarcerated criminal aliens," said Daniel D. Roberts, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. "Additionally, ICE and the FBI are working together to take advantage of the strong relationships already forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement necessary to assist ICE in achieving its goals."

For more information about Secure Communities, visit www.ice.gov/secure_communities/.

Biometrics Technology Helps Service Members

U.S. service members using the Biometrics Automated Toolset/Hand-held Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, in Afghanistan, to create a database of known identities and track movement. Produced by Staff Sgt. Marcos Alices.