U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft warned that "no country is exempt" from stricter border security during a speech in Niagara Falls on Thursday, and said people from every country should expect more scrutiny when entering the United States.

But the Attorney-General confirmed that the United States would no longer photograph and fingerprint travellers based only on their country of birth.

"Place of birth is not an automatic referral into this system. Many Canadians have been born outside of Canada, just like many Americans have been born outside the United States."

Canadian authorities had sought clarification on new U.S. security measures imposed on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, to closely scrutinize individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria.

Mr. Ashcroft said while the United States has no plans to stop scrutiny at the border of people who come from those countries, which are deemed "five state-sponsors of terrorism," Canadian citizens who were born in these countries will not automatically be fingerprinted and photographed.

Mr. Ashcroft warned that authorities who have reason to investigate individuals more closely will do so, regardless of country of origin or citizenship.

He swept away criticism voiced by Canadian politicians, including Immigration Minister Denis Coderre, who has called the process "racial profiling."

"It is not racial profiling. It is not based on ethnic criteria or religious criteria," Mr. Ashcroft told reporters gathered near the falls.

Mr. Ashcroft was in Niagara Falls, N.Y., to outline details of security measures — called the national security entry-exit registration system (NSEERS) — imposed by the United States in September.

He boasted that in the eight weeks that the system has been in place, 179 people have been arrested at the border, including wanted felons or aliens with serious criminal records.

The Attorney-General would not reveal how many of those arrested were Canadian.

Another 14,000 visitors to the United States have been fingerprinted and registered — many from the five countries he mentioned. In total, people from 112 different countries have been scrutinized, he said.

After Sept. 11, the United States established the registration system at various Canada-U.S. ports of entry. Beginning Thursday, however, he said, the system is up and running at every port of entry into the United States.

"We have increased our capacity to intercept terrorists or criminals who attempt to enter our country, to verify the foreign visitors who present national security concerns stick to their plans while they are in America, and ... we have increased our ability to know instantly when individuals who come into our country disregard the rules of their visas and overstay their welcome," he said.

Under NSEERS, which will apply to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria, travellers will be required to:

"So now, really for the first time we have a good understanding of when certain individuals enter the country and when they exit the country," Mr. Ashcroft said.

He said visitors from other countries who warrant extra scrutiny when they visit the United States may also be subject to the NSEERS system at the discretion of border authorities.