Brazil Starts Fingerprinting U.S. Travelers

[Dreamer128]

Fri January 2, 2004 12:12 AM ET

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian police on Thursday began fingerprinting and photographing U.S. visitors on orders of a judge who compared planned U.S. security controls on travelers from Brazil and other nations to Nazi horrors.
Federal Judge Julier Sebastiao da Silva, furious at U.S. plans to fingerprint and photograph millions of visitors on entering the United States, ordered Brazil's authorities do the same to U.S. citizens starting on Thursday.

"We've begun doing this," said a Federal Police spokeswoman at Brazil's Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo.

The judge's order came after Brazil's Federal Public Ministry filed a complaint in court over the U.S. measure.

The US-VISIT system is meant to identify people who have violated immigration controls, have criminal records or belong to groups listed as terrorist organizations by the United States.

Starting on Monday, people who need visas to enter the United States will be digitally fingerprinted and photographed when they pass through immigration at major U.S. airports and seaports.

The measure does not apply to citizens of 27, mainly European, nations who do not need a visa to enter the United States.

"I consider the act absolutely brutal, threatening human rights, violating human dignity, xenophobic and worthy of the worst horrors committed by the Nazis," said Sebastiao da Silva in the court order released on Tuesday.

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil were not immediately available to comment.

Federal Police in Sao Paulo were not able to confirm how many ports of entry had begun the controls and how many U.S. citizens had been fingerprinted and photographed so far.

The order by Sebastiao da Silva, a regional federal judge in the state of Mato Grosso, can be overturned by Brazil's justice system if he is considered to be acting outside of his powers, a Federal Police spokesman said.

Brazilian Foreign Ministry officials were not available to comment on the ruling, which urges the government to pressure the United States to exempt Brazilians from the US-VISIT system.

[Source: Reuters]

[Timber Loftis]

Good for them! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

We deserve a taste of our own medicine. Once US tourists start turning up as corpses due to international outrage against us, will we get our act together or pull out bigger guns? I can guess Rootin Tootin Rummie's reaction.

[John D Harris]

ROTFLSHISMCT (Rolling on the Floor Laughing So Hard I Swall'rd My Chewwing Tabbacee) [img]smile.gif[/img]

I want to see if I got this Straight:
Fingerprinting visitors = Nazi like activity
So in order to stop Nazi like activity - we'll engage in Nazi like activity.

Personally, I don't give a rat's rear end what Brazil does it's their country, they've got to live with the consequences of the action of their Gov't officals, just like everybody else in this world.

[Davros]

Tit for tat huh .

Well I have to admit that if I lived in a "visa required" country (which fortunately I don't) and knew I faced the prospect of finger printing and mug shots I would feel happier if I knew it was being reciprocated at our end [img]smile.gif[/img] .

Surely even Rummy can see the sense in that - I mean he doesn't sound like a "turn the other cheek" sort of person does he. The "do unto others" philosophy is probably something that he can understand and relate to [img]smile.gif[/img] so I think he would be quite comfortable with such a stance [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Garnet FalconDance]

I don't see a problem with fingerprinting as a form of ID---the feds have mine on file from years ago when I needed (rather high) security clearance in the military. I really don't know how having my prints is going to help any gov't screen me on the short run, tho, unless they have insta-run facilities.

John D, I agree. The Nazi-ism view is a bit skewed.

[WillowIX]

Originally posted by Garnet FalconDance: I don't see a problem with fingerprinting as a form of ID---the feds have mine on file from years ago when I needed (rather high) security clearance in the military. I really don't know how having my prints is going to help any gov't screen me on the short run, tho, unless they have insta-run facilities. John D, I agree. The Nazi-ism view is a bit skewed.

So you wouldn't mind if every country you visited stored your fingerprints? How about credit card information? Financial information? Etc.

I wonder how long Brazil will keep this up. A week? Two perhaps...

[Garnet FalconDance]

Nope, I wouldn't. But then again, I have nothing to hide. If the FBI already has my prints somewhere in their dusty vaults, then potentially so does everyone else. I've been to Belgrad as a civilian (pre-soviet block meltdown) and my American visa was enough. I don't use credit cards and if they think that my financial information is going to enlighten anyone to suspect activity---go for it. My weight, height, address, eye color, etc are all on the passport.

I suppose that it as an individual it (these piddly measures) just doesn't matter enough to me to cry foul. It's not as if this information isn't available anyways to anyone who knows what to look for. People these days are whining they want tighter security, but whenever it comes to any measures to provide such, they scream. Now, I have definite opinions on how far it need go to provide that better security, but I do not see why what Brazil has in mind is objectional (as long as this is *all* they have in mind---and their stated reasons are too stupidly amusing).

[John D Harris]

Originally posted by WillowIX: quote: Originally posted by Garnet FalconDance: I don't see a problem with fingerprinting as a form of ID---the feds have mine on file from years ago when I needed (rather high) security clearance in the military. I really don't know how having my prints is going to help any gov't screen me on the short run, tho, unless they have insta-run facilities. John D, I agree. The Nazi-ism view is a bit skewed.

So you wouldn't mind if every country you visited stored your fingerprints? How about credit card information? Financial information? Etc.

I wonder how long Brazil will keep this up. A week? Two perhaps... [/QUOTE]I wouldn't mind either, I'm not planning on doing anything that having my fingerprints would help them in the slightest. If they were going to trump up some charges, not having my fingerprints wouldn't stop them anyway. As for my CC and Financial info, I'm waiting for an ID theif to take it, They'd give it back to me so fast, "Hale" they'd probibly give me a new ID out of pity [img]smile.gif[/img]

[khazadman]

I am so tired of idiots like this judge accusing anyone of nazi like activity. If he wants to know what the nazis really did, he should go talk to one of the old ones still hiding out there.

[WillowIX]

Well I would mind. Not because they would be able to see my non-existent finances but because a foreign government or federal institution has no business what so ever in knowing my financial information or having my credit card number! Neither do I believe I should be forced to be fingerprinted. Why? Because I as a tourist want to enjoy my vacation as soon as I get to my destination, not be herded off to be fingerprinted. Of course we all choose our vacations on our own, but fingerprinting isn't included in mine. And that goes for traveling into the US, Brazil or visiting Santa!