Our “Bestiary”

Person Centric Query Service (PCQS)

A monster whose body consists of a paper application for naturalization to the U.S.A. Tentacles protrude from the botton edge of the paper while three cartoonish hands hold the following items: a facial recognition image, a fingerprint, and an image of an iris-scan.

Person Centric Query Service (PCQS) is a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) database that allows ICE officers access to sensitive information about an app­licant for immigration “benefits” such as citizenship, permanent status, temporary status, permission to apply for status, or work and travel authorization. When a person submits an application to CIS, a CIS agent uses PCQS to pull information from over 20 databases, including other DHS and federal agency databases, and private databases. 

PCQS provides access to real-time biometric information, linking to the FBI’s NGI criminal database, adjudication status as tracked via applications and petitions filed with CIS, naturalization applications, photos, fingerprints, iris scans and facial images on file with IDENT, and risk-assessments by ATS on whom “may pose a greater risk for violation of U.S. law.”1

ICE officers and analysts search PCQS to decide whether a person who has been arrested and booked might be deportable.

 

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