WASHINGTON — When a U.K. citizen traveled to Colleyville, Texas, to take hostages at a synagogue in January, U.S. law enforcement had no information about his criminal record and terrorist sympathies in their databases. But the British did.
Six months later, Biden administration officials cite Colleyville as a prime example of why it wants other nations to share with U.S. homeland security troves of data on certain citizens who travel here, including police records and biometrics. Biometrics could include fingerprints, facial features and other physiological characteristics that can be used for automated identification.
At least one European Parliament member has been critical of the scope of data that the Americans want on EU citizens. But U.S. officials say information sharing is critical to identifying potential terrorists from entering the country.
