U.S. ends registration program

New system of monitoring foreigners from countries with ties to terror will debut

? The government is scrapping a rule imposed after the 9-11 terror attacks that required men and boys from countries with suspected links to terrorism to register multiple times with U.S. officials.

The rule forced tens of thousands of Middle Easterners and others visiting America to provide personal information to government officials.

Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security Department’s undersecretary for border and transportation security, said a new registration system that will apply to more foreigners would be in place next month, making the current program unnecessary.

The program will end today when a notice is published in the Federal Register. Hutchinson said it could be used again if there were another terrorist attack linked to a foreign country.

The rule is part of a program known as National Security Entry Exit Registration System, or NSEERS. It established a national registry for foreign visitors from 25 mainly Middle Eastern countries.

People from those nations were fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed by U.S. immigration officials. They had to re-register with the government after being in the country for 30 days and again after one year. A total of 83,519 people already in the United States complied with the order.

Nearly 14,000 people with suspected immigration violations were identified through NSEERS, and 2,870 were detained. However, just 23 remain in custody, the government says.

People from the 25 countries still will be required to register when they enter the country and must check in at immigration offices at specific airports when they leave.

“The Department of Homeland Security will utilize a more tailored system that is individual-specific rather than the broad categories by geography,” Hutchinson said.