The governments of the United States and the Republic of Yemen agreed to the swift reconstitution of the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) border management system to enhance Yemeni efforts to identify known and suspected terrorists attempting to travel through Yemen’s sovereign territory. Representatives from the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism met with Republic of Yemen Government Officials to discuss implementing technology designed to detect and impede the free movement of persons associated with terrorist activities. The PISCES system employs cutting-edge technology that will enable Yemeni authorities to screen travelers against authoritative biographic and biometric databases. This is an important step in Yemen’s efforts to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2396, which compels all UN members to halt travel by terrorists through the use of tools like watch lists and Passenger Name Record data. The system utilizes globally-proven best practices to better secure the country’s borders, protect its population and to help secure the region.
The latest version of PISCES will allow traveler screening at Yemen’s land, air, and maritime ports of entry by enabling collection of biographic and biometric information in accordance with international standards, as well as functionality that checks for fraudulent travel documents. The system further provides a platform that is able to connect to Interpol’s I-24/7 databases to expand the law enforcement information resources available to Yemeni authorities. It provides a robust analysis and reporting capability that serves as an additional tool available to immigration, law enforcement, and counterterrorism authorities to conduct investigations that are critical to the interdiction of terrorists attempting to travel.
The United States of America and the Republic of Yemen have enjoyed a strong partnership in the PISCES program since 2003.
