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WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security's program for identifying illegal immigrants and terrorists is unable to locate foreign nationals inside the U.S. or determine if they ever leave the country, a senior homeland-security official said Friday.

The DHS's $1.7 billion United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program is responsible for documenting all foreign travelers through use of fingerprints and digital photographs, as well as checking their names against criminal records and watch lists of suspected terrorists.

Started in January 2004, US-VISIT has succeeded in recording the arrivals of travelers in the U.S., said Robert Mocny, the program's acting director.

But Mocny acknowledged in testimony before members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security that US-VISIT still is unable to determine when, or if, visitors leave the country, a goal set for the program at its creation.

Lawmakers sharply criticized US-VISIT for failing to keep track of foreign travelers after they pass through U.S. airports, seaports and land-border checkpoints.

Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said it should be easy to verify when someone leaves the country.

"If Wal-Mart can tie together 2,000 stores with probably 20,000 checkout stations, and they can instantaneously tell you whether your credit's good by swiping your card and checking with some sources —if they can install a system like that, why can't the U.S. government?" Rogers asked Mocny. "Is it that complicated?"

Rogers and Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., said the program's failures are so significant that they would favor not funding US-VISIT if DHS officials don't submit a plan for fixing them.

Mocny said that exit-regulation plans were still being discussed within the organization and that he and other US-VISIT officials "wanted to make sure they got it right" before presenting a plan to lawmakers.

"This affects the lives of millions of people who cross our borders every day," Mocny said.

Mocny defended the program, saying that since its implementation, US-VISIT has stopped over 1,800 incoming foreign nationals who either attempted to enter using false information or were flagged as dangerous.