Lindsey Graham: Federal ID for Workers Too Expensive (WLTX – Columbia, SC)
Senators working on a bipartisan immigration bill are likely abandoning the idea of requiring a new high-tech federal ID for workers because it’s too expensive.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina says cost estimates for the biometric ID card he favors came in higher than expected. The card was intended as a way to ensure employers don’t hire illegal workers.
US: to begin accepting [biometric] applications for temporary work visas from young illegal immigrants (workpermit.com)
JAPAN: Airports test new way of confirming passport data (Japan Times) Face & Finger.
BRAZIL: Our friends at Griaule Biometrics have added a new cloud service to their Griaule Biometric Framework 2.0. Press Release here.
Hi-tech measures to stop job swindles in the Middle East (The Sunday Times – Sri Lanka)
Sri Lankans seeking jobs in the Middle East will now face electronic fingerprinting and biometric scanning prior to departure to crack down on rampant fraud and other irregularities in the recruitment trade, a senior official said yesterday. Scanning devices would be installed at the departure and arrival areas of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and at all Sri Lankan diplomatic missions in the Middle Eastern countries where there were large numbers of Sri Lankan workers, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) Chairman Amal Senadhilankara said.
Click through to the whole story for a great example of the convoluted way people try to game well-intentioned systems.
In its efforts toward more effective border control, Malaysia may depend more on biometrics and less on corporal punishment.
Govt mulls abolishing whipping for illegal foreign workers (Borneo Post)
Mohamed Nazri, who is the minister in charge of parliament and law, said since whipping was introduced for illegal foreign workers, the problem of illegals had not lessened but became worse.
“Therefore, a new penalty such as imposing a big fine could perhaps replace whipping.” He said new technology such as the biometric system could be an effective measure to control the entry of illegal foreign workers into the country. Asked whether Malaysia planned to abolish whipping for other offences, the minister said it was more suitable for serious offences like rape.
In other Malaysia news…
Malaysia to scrap disembarkation card for foreigners (Asia One)