Government database tracks citizens at land crossings

A federal database that tracks U.S. citizens' movement into the country and stores that information for up to 15 years is irking privacy advocates who say it should be dismantled.

But similar collection programs have so far proved invaluable in both criminal and terrorism investigations, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"There's no new information gathering, ," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "What’s new is increased transparency in how the government publicly discloses what we’ve been doing for years.."

Officials disclosed the Border Security Information system last month, describing it as an effort to monitor who enters the country, when they do it and where.

Relying on enhanced passport technology and machine-readers at land crossing points, the database will include information such as the names, dates and times of crossings and the method of arrival for all travelers entering the country.

The records will be maintained for up to 15 years for U.S. citizens and 75 years for foreign nationals, according to a July 25 entry in the Federal Register - the legal publication for recording and communicating rules and regulations the federal government's executive branch establishes.

Enduring increased scrutiny at the nation's ports of entry has become routine to many who reside along the international border. But Barry Steinhard, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty program, argues the database is just the latest move by the Bush administration to expand intelligence gathering at the expense of individual rights.

"Our government is not supposed to collect information on the innocent activities and movements of its citizens just in case they later commit a crime," he said. "This program illustrates why America needs more robust and across-the-board privacy laws."

The government has long collected similar information from air travelers, but until this year the sheer volume of crossers at international bridges has hindered efforts to start a comparable program at land ports of entry.

Increased technology in new passports and the installation of machine readers at most land crossing points has made accessing and organizing that data more efficient.

"The real benefit has been for analyzing patterns for law enforcement purposes," Knocke said.

Data collected from border crossers has previously been shared with local law enforcement departments, federal investigators and attorneys working on civil litigation such as divorce and child custody cases, he said.

DHS is soliciting public comments on the new database until Monday, at which point the program is slated to be implemented.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misquoted DHS spokesman Russ Knocke. The disclosure of the Border Security Information database does not constitute a new way of using information collected at the border. Rather, it is the first in a planned series of announcments that department be more open on its data gathering programs.