MEXICO CITY (AP) – Travellers yesterday criticised a new US policy of photographing and fingerprinting visitors as heavy-handed, but some voiced grudging acceptance of the need for tighter security.

Officials began scanning fingerprints and taking photographs of arriving foreigners yesterday as part of a program aimed at preventing and trapping possible terrorists.

In retaliation, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry started fingerprinting and photographing Americans last week as they arrived at Sao Paulo’s airport.

“If only the rest of the world would imitate it like Brazil has done, the message would be brought home for everybody, Americans and non-Americans alike,” said Wale Adeyemo, 28, a physician in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

At the airport in Mexico City, Mexicans returning to the United States to work or study arrived up to six hours before their flights were scheduled to take off, worried by reports of delays caused by increased security measures in recent days.

Many said the new measures were inconvenient, but most appeared to be moving through security and check-ins with few delays.

“I think it is a little much,” said Constanza Carrillo, a 30 year-old computer software technician who lives in Denver.

“But if it feels safer for the government of the United States and for Americans, we don’t have a problem with it.”

Victor Fuentes, an 18 year-old Mexican returning to the United States to study at a high school in Chicago, said more security was better than less.

“It’s fine with me because it is for the safety of everyone,” he said.

Last week, two Aeromexico flights to Los Angeles were cancelled after US officials reported possible security concerns. Jose Luis Uribe, spokesman for Mexico City’s international airport, said traffic has declined following the post-New Year rush and things are “normal.”

He said there were no cancellations or major delays yesterday.

Agents at the US borders will not begin fingerprinting and photographing travellers until later this year. Over the weekend, Mexicans returning to the United States to work waited in lines for hours, but traffic had returned to normal on Monday.

The new US programme, which targets foreigners entering the 115 US airports that handle international flights, as well as 14 major seaports, was designed to let Customs officials check an immigrant or visitor’s criminal background.

Excepted are visitors from 27 countries – mostly European nations – whose citizens are allowed to come to the United States for up to 90 days without visas.

Osinachi Agwu, a 30 year-old banker in Lagos, said the measures were “a tool of discrimination against the non-European races.”

“I think the Bush administration is using it as an excuse to impose a virtual police state on what was supposed to be the world’s freest country,” Agwu said.

Idris Mohammed, 46, a computer analyst in Lagos, said travelling to the United States would “never again be the pleasure it used to be.”

“Though I bear a Muslim-sounding name, I’m actually a Christian, having converted as a teenager,” he said. “But you can visualise me visiting the US and waiting with trepidation to be fingerprinted and photographed, afraid the computer may raise an alarm on finding a like name on the terror suspects’ list.”

Associated Press reporter Dulue Mbachu contributed to this story from Lagos, Nigeria.