Applicants for immigration benefits provide fingerprints, photographs, and a signature, to conduct required background checks. Applications for immigration benefits can be denied for abandonment if an applicant fails to appear for their biometrics appointment unless they timely filed a request for change of address or rescheduling. If a child turns 14 by the time of the first biometrics session, he should point that out to the Application Support Center and request fingerprinting, because fingerprints rarely are taken for those under 14 or over 75. Biometrics appointments require one of the following IDs to be presented: passport, USCIS-issued photo ID, a photo ID issued by a foreign government (national identity document), NATO military ID, or state ID (driver’s license or other state  ID). If proper fingerprints cannot be made because of worn fingers the applicant may have to provide police clearances certificates from all prior residences. The Departments, Agencies, and components within the immigration system (DHS, DOS, CBP, ICE, USCIS, consular offices, etc.) collect biometrics & biographic data to screen against databases such as:

  • IBIS (Interagency  Border Inspection System)  a DHS  interagency computerized lookout system.
  • TECS II (Treasury Enforcement Communications System) is now the major system for DHS information. 
  • ADIS (The Arrival and Departure Information System) is a centralized database that reports each person’s arrival and departure from the U.S. ADIS receives information from IDENT, APIS, BCI, NIIS, TECS, CLAIMS, ELIS, and SEVIS
  • IDENT (DHS’s  Automated  Biometric  Identification  System )
  • OBIM (Office of Biometric Identity Management) replaced US-VISIT (which was part of ADIS), and uses the automated biometric-identification system (IDENT), the database managed by CBP to check biometric identifiers (fingerprints/photographs) against other databases such as CLASS. OBIM works with other  agencies, including FBI’s IAFIS. So that a person entering U.S. has their criminal history reviewed electronically.
  • CLAIMS (Computer Linked Application Information Management System) an electronic case management system used to track and process applications filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
  • ELIS, Electronic Immigration System used by USCIS
  • SEVIS Student & Exchange Visitor Information System maintained by ICE
  • APSS (Asylum Pre-Screening System),
  • NAILS (National Automated Immigration Lookout System)
  • DACS (Deportable Alien Control System)
  • NIIS (Nonimmigrant Information System)
  • RAPS (Refugee, Asylum and Parole System) 
  • TIPOFF (terrorist database).
  • CLASS (Consular Lookout and Support System) a computerized name search system connected to the State Department’s databases that Consulates check applicant information against. Inadmissibility grounds  and waivers, are recorded into CLASS by consulates.
  • IAFIS ( FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System) is a criminal-history database
  • Advanced  Targeting  System (ATS)
  • Advanced  Passenger  Information  System  (APIS) is maintained by CBP  contains advance information from carriers on persons entering and leaving to prevent boarding of inadmissible travelers in coordination with carriers. Airlines and cruise ships send advance biographic and other passenger information to DHS electronically, and must vet passengers before arrival using APIS.
  • The Secure Flight Program  requires domestic and international airlines to provide TSA, 72 hours before flight time, name/date of birth/gender of individuals on U.S. flights or those crossing the continental U.S. TSA designates the person for inhibited status (may not board), enhanced screening, or clearance,  after matching information with the Watch List (No Fly and Selectee List components of the Terrorist Screening Database).  
  • Money-Laundering Watch List—Under the USA PATRIOT Act, Congress authorized a money-laundering watch list to identify individuals worldwide known or suspected of money laundering.

Many of these databases often contain incomplete data and/or significant errors, that can lead to an applicant after initial inspection by CBP at an airport or seaport to be referred for further questioning in secondary inspection and Deferred inspection. A “hit” in CLASS on a foreign national’s name may delay the issuance of a visa for administrative processing related to further examination of information of identity. Consulates will not discuss entries made into the CLASS lookout system by law enforcement agencies, including DHS. Neither do CBP officers normally discuss entries within their databases. Thus, it can be difficult to learn the nature and source of the lookout entry that is causing grilling by border agents. The following steps can be taken to attempt to identify and/or correct such errors:

  • Respectfully and appreciatively make a request, sometimes a good natured border inspector will provide face to face a hint for hunting down the source or might even correct the record or record a resolution.
  • CBP is supposed to provide a Comment Card to all air and sea travelers who have been referred to secondary inspection. CBP  Form 10-321 mentions various forms of redress and urges travelers to insist on speaking with a supervisor at the time of inspection,  rather than later. So speak to a supervisor if needed.
  • If a CBP officer has misapplied the law, engaged in unprofessional behavior, or illegal conduct, file a complaint against the CBP officer at https://helpspanish.cbp.gov/s/complaints?language=en_US. All complaints and compliments are reviewed, tracked and addressed by the INFO Center. It should be noted that complaints can also be filed anonymously; however, doing so will make it difficult for CBP to resolve your particular problem. 
  • To challenge a decsion by CBP contact the local CBP at the port of entry (POE) and follow the chain of command. Start with the local office/port that made the decision as this office is in the best position to review the decision in a timely and efficient manner. Ask to speak with a Section Chief or supervising officer; however, some larger ports may direct you to speak with subject matter experts that are knowledgeable about particular types of immigration cases. Any adverse decision has been reviewed and approved by several supervising officers before being finalized. Therefore, the POE may not be receptive to reviewing the decision; however, this should always be the first step in resolving a case problem. If the POE supervisor is unable to resolve the problem, continue to work up the chain of command. Next, contact the Head of Passenger Operations or the Port Director. After following up with the POE, seek review from the Field Office (FO) with jurisdiction over the POE, as some FOs have a supervisory position in charge of review or quality control of inspection and admission issues. Additionally, talking with the Field Office Director may also be helpful. It is important to note that CBP headquarters strongly prefers AILA members to make serious and repeated efforts to communicate with ports of entry and field offices via local AILA CBP liaisons. If all local liaison efforts have been exhausted and if the local POE and field office are unresponsive or unwilling to meaningfully communicate, contact the AILA national CBP liaison committee. CBP headquarters has issued guidance that all field offices (and POEs) should engage in liaison efforts with AILA. If these efforts do not resolve the case problem, the best thing to do is to try and communicate directly with CBP HQ or to sue CBP. 
  • A foreign national who repeatedly gets flagged for secondary inspection for an apparent record not actually relating to him should ask the secondary inspection officer or supervisor to make an entry in CBP’s Primary Lookout Override (“PLOR”) system, which can suppress in subsequent primary inspections derogatory information for the traveler to whom it has been determined not to relate. An example of when this could be helpful is if the name or date of birth is similar to that of a known criminal or terrorist. Additionally, PLOR can be used to remove false information from an applicant’s record. PLOR is not likely to be used to suppress clearable derogatory information about a foriegn national such as a criminal conviction, in which case a “TRIP” request might be more fruitful.
  • Use “Traveler  Redress  Inquiry  Program”  (TRIP) online at www.dhs.gov/trip to request to challenge a lookout or no-fly determination or have DHS address the underlying cause for repeated delays, boarding or admission denials, additional screening or other difficulties in entering the U.S. Forms and instructions to initiate a redress process are at www.dhs.gov/trip. Upon submission one receives a redress number and must print out the “Traveler  Inquiry  Form acknowledgement” page (or  instead  of  online  inquiry  print  and  complete  the  inquiry  form  from  PDF), sign it, and send it to DHS TRIP along with a clear color copy of an unexpired passport, and a completed G-28 (if represented by an attorney) to the address indicated. Applications should be emailed to TRIP@dhs.gov. The street address for DHS TRIP is 601 S.12th St., TSA-901, Arlington, VA 22202. DHS is required by regulation to provide a timely written response. Responses typically take about two months. Travelers may check the status of their inquiry online   at https://trip.dhs.gov/status.htm  by  entering  their  Redress  Control  Number. Travelers  may  also  contact  the  Transportation  Security  Administration  (TSA)  Contact Center  at  (866)  289-9673  or  (571)  227-2900.  “In  Process” means the inquiry is awaiting or undergoing review. “Pending Paperwork” means CBP has requested information, so be on the lookout for that. “Closed” means that a response has been provided, and follow up should proceed if not received or if no resolution occurs within two months. The DHS TRIP timeliness target for providing a response to traveler inquiries is 60 days for CBP only inquiries and 90 days for inquiries involving multiple agencies. The new process is to target the “easy” cases first, and then take the time needed to research and investigate the more complex cases. If DHS TRIP does not provide a sufficient response, one can appeal to the Chief Privacy Officer at: Attn: DHS Privacy Office, DHS, Mailstop 0655, 245 Murray Dr. SW, Washington, DC 20528. Records generated from the Lookout system or Secure Flight (or APIS) may contain inaccurate information from NCIC. Resolutions are phrased in deliberately uninformative language, and only further travel will tell if required action has been taken.
  • Use the Redress number to book airline tickets after the complaint is resolved. CBP allows  carriers  to  transmit  “redress  numbers”  issued  by  TSA or other DHS entity (corresponding to past transactions in which DHS may have vetted false positive results) in order to reduce inconvenience to innocent travelers with names corresponding to high-risk individuals or with other circumstances that have been resolved by DHS but not removed from all watch lists. It is not clear to what extent CBP port inspectors’ clarifications of a passenger’s information amends ADIS.   
  • Make a Privacy Act request to amend a CBP record by submitting online at www.cbp.gov/foia, or by writing to CBP FOIA Headquarters Office U.S. CBP, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Rm. 3.3D Washington, DC 20002. Some records may be exempt from the Privacy Act.  
  • FOIA request passenger name record. To  obtain  access  to  a  requestor’s  own  Passenger  Name  Record that  DHS provides to airlines and travel agents,  contact the FOIA/PA  Branch, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
  • U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents can obtain information contained in CBP’s ADIS Records through the Privacy Act or FOIA and then contest or seek amendment of record entries by submitting a form at www.cbp.gov/foia, or sending a letter to: CBP FOIA Headquarters Office, U.S. CBP, FOIA Division, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Rm. 3.3D, Washington, DC 20002. Include requester’s full name, current address, DOB, a copy of the record in question, and a detailed explanation of change sought. If the matter cannot be resolved at this level the USC/LPR can appeal to DHS TRIP and then to the DHS Privacy Office. The current address for the Chief Privacy Officer is: Attn: DHS Privacy Office, DHS, Mailstop 0655, 245 Murray Dr. SW, Washington, DC 20528
  • ENFORCE / IDENT Records—submit a FOIA request to the appropriate agency or to DHS at Chief, Information and Disclosure Mission Support, Office of Investigations, 425 “I” Street NW, Washington DC 20536. Persons desiring deletion or amendment to a record should direct their request to ENFORCE / IDENT Program Management Office, 1616 N. Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.
  • FOIA request to DHS on G-639 (CBP, OBIM). If OBIM contains inaccurate information send a written request with the following information by mail or fax (202-298-5201) to US-VISIT Program  Office at the  following address: US-VISIT Privacy Officer, US-VISIT Program, Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland  Security, Washington, DC  20528. Privacy Officer may also be called at (202) 298-5200 or emailed to usvisitprivacy@hq.dhs.gov. The request should include the requestor’s full name, current address, contact numbers, date and place of birth, date of arrival in and/or departure from U.S., port of arrival and/or departure in U.S., name of airline or sea vessel and flight number or cruise line ticket number, passport number and country of issuance, and U.S. visa number and  a  detailed  explanation  of the change sought. The requester must sign, and the signature must be notarized or submitted under penalty of perjury. If the matter cannot be resolved by the system manager, further appeal for resolution may be made to the DHS Privacy Officer at the following address: Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528, telephone (202) 282-8000, facsimile (202) 772-5036. Redress requests can be sent to: Systems Manager, DHS TRIP, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC. 
  • If a background check/administrative  processing  has been pending for over 90 days, delaying visa processing contact the Visa Office using the email address legalnet@state.gov.    
  • If the lookout system (CLASS) displays  a Category I hit with the same, or a name similar to the applicant’s name, but the consulate determines it is not the same person, the visa should be annotated “not the. same as CLASS entry. Waivers granted by DHS must also be annotated on the visa and reflected in data. Verify with the consular officer before leaving the interview that required annotations have been made in CLASS.
  • United States citizens and lawful permanent resident foreign nationals may have their names removed from CLASS  by  submitting  their  request in writing,  with clear proof of identity, U.S. citizenship or permanent residence, and travel history to: Chief, Systems Liaison and Procedures Division Visa Office U.S. Department of State Washington, D.C. 20522-0113.
  • LPRs and USCs seeking to remove their names from CLASS or correct information can also use DHS TRIP
  • Non LPR Foreign nationals may request the specific consulate or other  government agency that made the lookout entry to have their name removed from CLASS. Obviously that office needs proof that the person’s entry was incorrect in the first place or has been cured. If the consulate is persuaded to seek deletion or correction of the  entry, it  must send a “CLOK” cable to DOS, and DOS decides about and implements the deletion or change. A visa applicant may also obtain the following public information under  (1) correspondence previously sent or given to applicant by consular post; (2) civil documents presented by applicant; and (3) visa applications and other documents, including sworn statements, applicant submitted to consular officer as they were submitted i.e., with any U.S. government remarks or notations deleted. 
  • Litigation. Federal courts have sometimes ordered disclosure of certain information in the Lookout Systems.