Facial recognition nabs 3rd impostor at airport

New facial recognition technology identified a third impostor in 40 days at Washington Dulles International Airport.

The woman, who arrived Monday aboard a flight from Accra, Ghana, presented a U.S. passport to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer as a returning U.S. citizen.  The facial recognition technology reported a mismatch between the photo embedded in the passport chip and the woman who presented the travel document.

CBP’s facial recognition system compares the face of the traveler presenting the travel document to the face captured in the passport’s electronic chip.  The facial recognition verification process takes less than 2 seconds.  It is designed to quickly confirm a document bearer’s identity and significantly reduce passenger processing times.

“This latest interception is yet another example of the effectiveness of the facial comparison system we are using to help us detect criminals, terrorists or imposters attempting to enter our country,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of the Baltimore Field Office.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority partnered with CBP at Washington-Dulles International Airport to deploy biometric entry and exit technology using facial comparison to provide additional security for international travelers.

On September 8, CBP officers intercepted a Ghanaian woman presenting a U.S. passport for admission to the United States.

On August 22, CBP officers intercepted a Congolese man presenting a French passport for admission to the United States.

CBP has been testing facial recognition technology at 15 major airports across the United States. 

CBP uses airline manifest data to retrieve existing traveler photographs from government databases, including passports and visas, to build a photo gallery of travelers who are expected to arrive and depart the United States.  CBP then compares the "live" photographs of travelers taken with those that are already on file.

Posing as another person when entering the United States violates immigration law.