US tourism officials at the Canada-US border have raised fears that a biometric exit system could impact on visitor numbers.The officials have complained that biometric checks could create backups and traffic tie-ups at the bridges such as those leading into the Buffalo Niagara Region.”Clearly, we all have to be very concerned,” said Patrick Kaler, Visit Buffalo Niagara president and CEO, to Buffalo Business First.Last week, Planet Biometrics reported how US President Donald Trump has sought to introduce a time-line to a long-awaited biometric exit programme in the US, seeking regular updates on its progress.According to a draft version of a White House executive order obtained Wednesday by The Huffington Post, Trump plans to expedite the completion of a biometric entry-exit tracking system for all visitors to the U.S. and require in-person interviews for all individuals seeking a non-immigrant visa.To speed up the implementation of a system, he wants the secretary of Homeland Security to submit periodic reports on the progress of the programme.Grant Loomis, Buffalo Niagara Partnership vice president for government affairs, said his organization will lobby federal lawmakers to try to prevent any form of biometric implementation.”We need to streamline our border, not make it more difficult,” Loomis said. “There's no way the federal government should paint the northern border cities with the same brush as those along the southern borders.”
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