Chimera

Overview
A series of laws enacted between 1996 and spring 2002 requires the federal government to develop Chimera, an automated information system, to gather and share information among agencies about aliens seeking to enter or stay in the United States. The major requirements for the Chimera system were (1) biometric identifiers; (2) machine-readable visas, passports, and other travel and entry documents; and (3) interoperability among all State Department, INS, and federal law enforcement and intelligence agency systems that contain information about aliens. Chimera was to be used to screen applicants for visas and admission to the United States, identify inadmissible and deportable aliens, track lost and stolen passports, monitor foreign students studying in the United States, and help administer law enforcement and national security.

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