US extends border-tagging to allies

Tightening its defenses against terrorism, the US yesterday began fingerprinting and photographing visitors from some of America’s staunchest allies upon their arrival in this country.

The Homeland Security Department estimated the new requirements would affect 33,000 visitors a day but would add only 15 seconds to the processing time. The fingerprinting is done digitally, sparing travelers from getting their fingers smudged with ink.