U.S. government plans to fingerprint cruisers at terminals

USA TODAY's Mimi Hall reports this morning that the U.S. government plans to start fingerprinting foreign travelers -- including cruisers -- as they leave the USA.

The proposal, to be unveiled today by the Homeland Security Department, would require cruise lines to collect the fingerprints from passengers as they board ships in Miami and other U.S. ports. Airlines would have to collect fingerprints at airports.

Only foreigners would be fingerprinted, not U.S. citizens. But the requirement could cause delays for everyone at cruise ship terminals. It's also expected to add to the cost of turning around ships in ports -- costs the cruise lines likely will pass on to consumers. The proposal calls for cruise lines and airlines -- not the U.S. government -- to pick up the tab for the fingerprinting.

The cost "is above and beyond our biggest nightmare," a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association told USA TODAY's Hall. "This is literally the most expensive security program in the history of aviation."

The U.S. government's own projections place the cost at more than $2 billion over 10 years......

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