US: Preclearance at foreign airports seen as a necessity to fight terrorism

The Department of Homeland Security is pushing to increase the number of American law enforcement personnel stationed at airports abroad to screen passengers before they board planes to the US, officials say. The effort would be designed to extend the US’ border security to foreign airports as part of new initiatives to reduce the risk of potential terrorists entering the country. Under a smaller program already in place, called Preclearance and run by US Customs and Border Protection, officers are based at foreign airports where they collect fingerprints and photos and check travel documents before allowing passengers to board a plane traveling to the US. The foreign airport is responsible for many of the program’s costs, including the construction and maintenance of the space inside the airport. <br/>