The proposal to add in a biometric tracking system for tracking the comings and goings of foreigners entering the U.S. as part of the immigration reform bill was defeated by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators Tuesday.
As Yahoo! News reports, senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against the amendment, backed by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., which would have required the government to use fingerprints and other biometric measures in order to track those entering the country via airports and other ports of exit.
The amendment was voted down 6-12, two Republicans and 10 Democrats voting against the measure.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a key member of the "Gang of Eight" who drafted the immigration bill currently being debated in Washington, expressed his support for the biometric system provision on Tuesday and vowed to fight for its inclusion in the legislation, according to Reuters.
However, Democrats such as fellow bipartisan panel members Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Dick Durbin, D-Illi., countered that the provision would be too costly to implement.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another key Republican in the "Gang of Eight," said he voted against the measure because the government had not shown "the will or the desire" to get the system up and running. Adding it into the bill would not likely change that, he added.
The biometric system provision was one of several proposals that have been voted down in the committee mark-up process since the bill was submitted to the committee weeks ago.
While Congress passed a bill after the 9/11 attacks calling for the government to institute a biometric tracking system for people on temporary nonimmigrant visas, the system has still not been created, with costs and other obstacles standing in the way.
Democrats in the "Gang of Eight" have stated that Homeland Security was doing a better job on tracking foreigners entering and leaving the U.S. with biographical data like travelers' name and dates of birth; Republicans, however, disagreed and called for the measure's implementation.
As USA Today reported, a 2008 estimate by Homeland Security projected that the costs of placing biometric-reading equipment at every airport and seaport in the U.S. would cost between $3.1 and $6.4 billion. Other reports estimate it could cost higher-around $25 billion.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., expressed concerns that the biometric system would delay the citizenship process for many of the 11 million immigrants living illegally in the U.S. The amendment had specific language where none of those immigrants would be able to apply to become U.S. citizens prior to the system being implemented.
Sen. Rubio's office issued a statement after the vote expressing disappointment that the measure was defeated, but vowing to fight for its addition to the legislation when the bill is brought before the full Senate later in the year.
"Having an exit system that utilizes biometric information will help make sure that future visitors to the United States leave when they are supposed to," his spokesman said.
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