Green card holders will be fingerprinted and photographed at U.S. borders

The Bush Administration has issued final rules, which will become effective two days before Barack Obama's inauguration, that will require millions of "Lawful Permanent Residents" -- non-citizens who hold green cards and are allowed to live in the U.S. -- to be fingerprinted and have their faces photographed by DHS whenever they return from abroad at a U.S. airport or land border entry point. The new rules will treat lawful permanent residents (LPRs) more like visiting foreign nationals, who currently are required to submit their fingerprints and facial photos under the US-VISIT program, than U.S. citizens, who are not required to be fingerprinted or photographed. Approximately 4.4 million lawful permanent residents – as well as 33 million U.S. citizens – arrive at U.S. airports and seaports each year, according to DHS....