Do the US Immigration have a record of who enters and leaves the US via plane even if i-94w was not returned?

Question

Surely there must be some sort of electronic method in place, that when a passenger checks-in or boards a plane, information is stored on computer for future reference.

What if a passenger hands in their i-94w departure slip to the airline, but it never reaches the Authorities? Is there a system that can determine when a passenger enters and leaves the US?

Answer 1

Your passport number will be tracked. The US airlines are required to capture this information by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for identifying passengers on a flight.

Answer 2

Yes, the airlines report to CBP.

A departure manifest listing all of the passengers' names, dates of birth, citizenship, and passport numbers is provided to CBP on a daily basis. The information is recorded eletronically, and it's very easy to keep track of arrivals and departures of travelers.

It would be rare that a passenger would turn in this I-94W to the carrier, and that it would not reach the CBP authorities in that the airline reps lift I-94's all day long, bundle them, fill out a form I-92, put a rubber band around the I-92 and the I-94's and drop them off at the CBP dropbox or inspection counter everyday.

Things can get lost, but anyone whose I-94W did not reach the authorities should be prepared to prove that they left when they claim.

Documentation to prove your departure can include the boarding pass from your flight. If you have any documentation of your arrival in your home country (i.e. passport stamp), then you should use that as proof.

If you do not have any supporting documents to substantiate your claim to have left the U.S. on a certain date, there is no guarantee that you will be admitted into the U.S. in the future.