The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. is about to launch a pilot project in which U.S. customs and border protection agents will be stationed at Polish airports to keep an eye on passengers bound for America. However, no decision has been made yet on whether to expand the program to other European airports. After a hearing last week before the House Committee on Government Reform, Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security, said the pilot program is being set up at the invitation of Poland. The U.S. will be evaluating the project as it unfolds to see if the effort should be expanded. "But clearly that would not be done without the permission and invitation of the host government," he said. A Homeland Security Dept. official said such an endeavor would be simi- lar to the one in which U.S. agents are stationed at major ports overseas to keep an eye on shipping containers bound for the U.S. "Obviously, if we go forward with this, we will sit down with the European Union, European Commission and any other foreign partner to allay any concerns," the official said. He noted that any passenger-screening program would be voluntary and reciprocal, as it is with the container-monitoring program now active in 21 ports responsible for the majority of shipments to the U.S.
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