Canadians boarding a flight to Calgary last week should not have been fingerprinted and photographed at the Denver airport, says a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A dozen Canadian passengers on a United Airlines flight were pulled to one side just before boarding the plane, says passenger Mike Dunford.

A security guard explained that because of heightened terrorist concerns, Canadians had to go through tougher security, Dunford said. The group's passports were scanned and they were fingerprinted and photographed.

"Now in the United States I'm obviously on file," said Dunford, who was catching a connecting flight in Denver after a visit to Palm Springs.

"I've been a guest in their country for more than 15 years so I'm a little shocked and disappointed."

Privacy officer can delete records

Anna Hinken, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says this is probably a case of an overzealous security or airline worker misinterpreting security regulations.

Homeland Security's US Visit program, which was expanded in August, screens people entering and leaving the country. Border guards can also take inkless fingerprints and digital photographs.

Hinken says the majority of Canadians have been prescreened before entering and don't have to be fingerprinted and photographed when they leave.

She says the passengers should contact the US Visit privacy officer.

"He'll ask them a few questions and confirm who they are and then he'll delete the information that was erroneously collected," she said.

Hinken says this has happened in the past, but they are isolated incidents.

It is, however, the second publicized complaint in as many months coming from Canadians related to an incident at the Denver airport.

A Muslim doctor from Winnipeg was escorted off a United Airlines flight in August, alleging it was because of his recitation of prayers.