BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: At this hour, within minutes, in fact, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge expected to formally announced new screening procedures at the nation's airports. In the meantime, David Mattingly is standing by at the airport in Atlanta, as we all await there -- David, good morning. A preview now.</s>DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Anyone on a terrorism watch list or trying to come into the country today using fraudulent identification papers is due for a big surprise when they step off the plane this morning. A new digital photograph and electronic fingerprinting system is now up and running that is designed to stop fraudulent identification and terrorism suspects in just 15 seconds. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is in Atlanta greeting arriving passengers this morning. He tells CNN the U.S. is implementing this technology as an advancement in national security and that the rest of the world, he believes, may soon follow.</s>TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We want visitors from abroad to continue to come to the United States, to work and to study and to visit. But we also want to secure our borders. And I think, as the world community combats both terrorism and tries to identify and ensure that people coming across their borders are coming across for legitimate purposes, you're going to see more and more countries going to a form of biometric identification to confirm the identity of the individuals and the purpose for which they are traveling in their countries.</s>MATTINGLY: And, of course, this is a huge undertaking, already costing over $700 million. It is expected to have an impact on 400 million border crossings when it's fully implemented by the end of the year 2005. And already there has been some criticism abroad and at home. Brazil already ordering that all U.S. citizens now be fingerprinted and photographed there in response -- back to you.</s>HEMMER: David, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
New Screening Procedures at Nation's Airports