Border states rebel against ID requirements

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is facing a rebellion by northern border-state lawmakers who want to push back deadlines requiring passports or tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States.

In a bow to lawmakers whose states neighbor Canada, the Homeland Security Department is considering easing some of the rules for infrequent border crossers. But many in Congress, backed by Canadians, say the compromise isn’t enough, and are pushing to delay the restrictions, set to take effect in 2008, by 18 months.

The rules, as they stand now, are “a train wreck on the horizon,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He and Rep. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, are looking to file legislation that would delay border requirements until July 2009. That legislation could come as early as this week as part of a massive spending bill the Senate is considering, Leahy spokesman David Carle said Wednesday. Stevens is chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Confronting the ‘Aunt Tilly’ problem

The administration may initially address part of what some in Washington call the “Aunt Tilly” problem — occasional visitors to Canadian border communities who might be prevented from returning to the U.S. because they didn’t know to bring acceptable ID. The law applies to U.S. citizens and foreign visitors alike.

“We are working on that, we’re concerned about that, and the last thing we want to do is discourage traffic,” Jim Williams, director of a Homeland Security Department program that monitors international travel to the U.S., said in an interview. “We’ve got to come up with solutions that meet people’s needs.”

Specific plans are still being worked out. Williams said the administration was looking at issuing short-term passes, or one-day passes, for legitimate border travelers who have neither a passport nor the proposed “PASS” card that is being developed.

To people who repeatedly try to cross the border without the right ID, however, “we might say, ‘Look, we won’t let you back in if you continue to do this and not get a passport or card,”’ Williams said. “We don’t want to discourage that person’s travel, but, on the other hand, we want to move people to where we can identify them.”

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VOTE: Would new ID rules keep you away from Canada?

Bumps in the road north

The ID rules were part of a 2004 intelligence overhaul law, overwhelmingly approved by Congress, to tighten U.S. borders against terrorists. They have since pitted lawmakers from border states against those from the heartland, strained relations with Canada, and forced Homeland Security to roll out technology and training under a deadline that may prove too aggressive to meet.

Concerns were highlighted last week by Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, who questioned Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about whether the rules would be ready.

“Obviously I raised concerns, some of the same questions that you raised, in terms of, is it feasible?” Day told reporters in Washington. “Those are concerns of interest, those are concerns neighbors raise because they might be concerned about what their neighbor is doing.”

The rules are not as controversial on the nation’s southern border, where more than 8 million Mexicans carry laser visas that let them easily travel between the two countries. Those who enter the U.S. from Canada now need only common forms of identification, such as a driver’s license and a birth certificate.

Economic impact debated

Critics fear the rules will dramatically reduce travel and tourism across the northern border, damaging local economies, as visitors shy away from the $97 cost of a passport. The PASS cards are expected to cost half that much, and perhaps far less, said Assistant Secretary of State Maura Harty.

“We all recognize the security issues. But there’s practical and economic impacts that me and my colleagues all have been hit with, and we’re sensitive to,” said Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

Homeland Security “needs to tell us exactly how this is going to work, exactly what the costs are going to be,” said Coleman, who voted for the 2004 law mandating the border crackdown. “We don’t think we’re at that stage.” Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Homeland Security “is listening and is beginning to understand our problem, but we’re not going to rest until there’s a solution that solves it.”

Congress this week is holding hearings on the program — dubbed the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12498004/

[noemij 0]

All this drama for $97....lazy and cheap

[Amy and Brian 1]

I know several people here in Canada who cross the border on occasion to go shopping. They don't have passports as they never travel overseas and most of them aren't too fond of the idea of having to shell out $85CAD for a document they will only use two or three times a year. They're not complaining, they'll just stop their trips across the border. No big deal for them.

The thing I think the government is concerned about is that there are a LOT of people out there like my friends who contribute to the economy (on either sides of the border) with their trips, but would have no problem in ceasing with their travels because they really have no desire to get a passport. So the government is all "well, there goes that cash flow" and of course they don't like it.

I don't know any individuals who are actually mad about the changes in requirements for crossing the border. Most people I've spoken to about it are completely indifferent. I think that it's really just the government itself that's getting all pissy over it.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

All this drama for $97....lazy and cheap

$9.70 a year.

You need a birth certificate now and ID = 90% of the effort to get a US passport.

[Jasman0717 9]

All this drama for $97....lazy and cheap

[chocolaterie 0]

yeah in canada, your passport expires every 5 years. that coupled with the fact of getting a passport is a tedious event. Cdns have to get 2 guarantors, who will sign the form confirming your identity... many professionals are apprehensive to do so. I haven't met anyone who has complained about it though.

[Mermaid 0]

It is not a big deal to me. I have always shown my passport when crossing the border into the US.

[Amy and Brian 1]

yeah in canada, your passport expires every 5 years. that coupled with the fact of getting a passport is a tedious event. Cdns have to get 2 guarantors, who will sign the form confirming your identity... many professionals are apprehensive to do so. I haven't met anyone who has complained about it though.

Actually, it's only one guarantor. And if you *really* can't find one, there is a form your can file to get the passport without a guarantor... though I imagine that's a pain to do.

[chocolaterie 0]

yeah in canada, your passport expires every 5 years. that coupled with the fact of getting a passport is a tedious event. Cdns have to get 2 guarantors, who will sign the form confirming your identity... many professionals are apprehensive to do so. I haven't met anyone who has complained about it though.

Actually, it's only one guarantor. And if you *really* can't find one, there is a form your can file to get the passport without a guarantor... though I imagine that's a pain to do.

ahh I got confused with the references!!!

[Amy and Brian 1]

Oh, right! Heh. I forgot about the reference part

[Velvettt 0]

It's a lot more work to get a passport in Canada than in the U.S., and there's no such thing as a renewal. When your passport expires after 5 yrs, you have to reapply just like you never had one before. That is what peeves most Canadians. Also, depending on what province you live in, if you don't have a birth certificate, you might have to wait months to get a copy, due to backlogs caused by....you guessed it! ... people needing birth certificates to get passports. In Ontario, I think it's around 6 months backlogged. If you were born in Quebec, there's a whole other can of worms if you haven't gotten a new birth certificate since the 80s. They cancelled them all and issued new "forgery-proof" ones, invalidating all previous ones. Go ahead, ask me how I know.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Maybe its Canada then that needs to update / simplify (without compromising security) its passport rules to fall in line with most of the rest of the world....

[Velvettt 0]

Absolutely! The "no renewal" policy went into effect post 9/11 as a security measure. You think someone would have noticed that it's a pain in the rear by now.

[moondancer627 0]

If it's either Canada or Mexico it shouldn't matter. Tucson is one hour from the Mexican Border. Nogales is a shoppers paradise for finding cool touristy items. Tons of Tucsonians go down to Mexico for cheap shopping , medications, and even dentist visits. Imagine the revenue loss for Nogales if we all needed a passport to go to a border town.

Moondancer

[Cristy 4]

I know several people here in Canada who cross the border on occasion to go shopping. They don't have passports as they never travel overseas and most of them aren't too fond of the idea of having to shell out $85CAD for a document they will only use two or three times a year. They're not complaining, they'll just stop their trips across the border. No big deal for them.

I agree