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Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
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 Tue Apr 05, 2005 11:31 pm U.S. Tightens Border |
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U.S. Re-Entry to Get Tougher for Americans
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
WASHINGTON � Americans will need passports to re-enter the United States from Canada (search), Mexico (search), Panama (search) and Bermuda (search) by 2008, part of a tightening of U.S. border controls in an era of terrorist threat, three administration officials said Tuesday.
Similarly, Canadians will also have to present a passport to enter the United States, the officials said.
The announcement, expected later Tuesday at the State Department, will specify that a passport (search) or another valid travel document will have to be shown by U.S. citizens, the officials said.
These include a document called Sentri (search) that is used for Mexico travel or a Nexus (search) for Canada travel.
Until now, Americans returning home from Canada have needed only to show a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification card.
Americans returning from Mexico, Panama or Bermuda currently need only a government-issued photo identification card plus proof of U.S. citizenship like an original birth or naturalization certificate, according to the State Department's Web site.
The new rules, to be phased in by Jan. 1, 2008, were called for in intelligence legislation approved last year by Congress.
Safeguarding U.S. borders are a top concern of U.S. intelligence and security officials. The concern increased after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon.
The travel industry has raised concerns that the changes might hamper tourism, one official said.
The announcement follows a three-way summit last month that President Bush held with Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada and President Vicente Fox of Mexico.
Speaking at Baylor University at Waco, Tex., Bush said border controls with Mexico had to be tightened to make sure that terrorists, drug runners, gun runners and smugglers do not enter the United States.
Besides a passport, re-entering Americans could use another approved travel document like frequent travel cards, which are issued to some people who travel often between the U.S. and Mexico. These cards typically are used to avoid long border-crossing lines.
But in most cases, only passports will do, another U.S. official said.
The new system will deal first with the Caribbean, then Mexico and Canada. It will start at airports and subsequently spread to land crossings, said an official speaking on condition of anonymity.
U.S. inspectors will bear less of a burden with the changes because they won't have to sift through different kinds of travel documents, the officials said.
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Dirt
Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2086
Location: a tree
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 12:37 am |
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It's a sad world where the well being of your fellow human beings matters less than money. Some way to help the world, become a better place, for you and for me and the entii.....*sings* 
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 12:40 am |
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| Quote: | | WASHINGTON � Americans will need passports to re-enter the United States from Canada (search), Mexico (search), Panama (search) and Bermuda (search) by 2008, part of a tightening of U.S. border controls in an era of terrorist threat, three administration officials said Tuesday. |
What a pain in the ass this is going to be, 
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Link, the Hero of Time
Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001
Posts: 5581
Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:01 am |
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| Theresa wrote: | | Quote: | | WASHINGTON � Americans will need passports to re-enter the United States from Canada (search), Mexico (search), Panama (search) and Bermuda (search) by 2008, part of a tightening of U.S. border controls in an era of terrorist threat, three administration officials said Tuesday. |
What a pain in the ass this is going to be, |
Very much agreed. This is really going to kill weekends.
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:26 am |
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Meh, I can see how it is difficult in the bureaucracy. The idea of showing one's passport just to cross the border is obviously more inconvenient than the "flash and dash" method of using one's driver's license. But considering all the other steps in border security, it is sensible.
Of course, as Canada's Auditor-General has said, Canada has no clue who is authorized to issue a passport anyway, and it's relatively easy for a terrorist to get one so all is for naught. 
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Link, the Hero of Time
Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001
Posts: 5581
Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 10:27 am |
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I was refering to killing weekends by spending more time at border patrol dealing with Drunk college students, I'm usually the designated driver... well that and I dont like to drink. They're already hard enough to deal with.
-------signature-------
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." President Thomas Jefferson
"A man's respect for law and order exists in precise relationship to the size of his paycheck." Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
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teya
Commander
Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 423
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 11:18 am |
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| Theresa wrote: | | Quote: | | WASHINGTON � Americans will need passports to re-enter the United States from Canada (search), Mexico (search), Panama (search) and Bermuda (search) by 2008, part of a tightening of U.S. border controls in an era of terrorist threat, three administration officials said Tuesday. |
What a pain in the ass this is going to be, |
Yep, although if you look a certain way, it's already a good idea to have a passport if you're coming back from Mexico.
Friend of mine--a full-blood Inuit born in Pt. Barrow, Alaska--was stopped at the border and held there for 24 hours while INS attempted to figure out if Eskimos were Mexican or not.
-------signature-------
Resume your disorder.
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zero
Rear Admiral
Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 4566
Location: Texas
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:08 pm |
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it is going to be a pain in the rear, But if it is going to benifit the country, and help us cut down the enterance rates of illegal aliens, I guess I'm happy?
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:53 pm |
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Like with Link, I'm assuming, going into Canada is like going to the next town. I've practically ceased to even notice we're crossing over. The most irritating time was when we had our assistant pastor's daughter with us, and she has dual citizenship. Somehow that came out,
But, I suppose if it makes things safer, big if there, then ok.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 3:12 pm |
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| teya wrote: | | Friend of mine--a full-blood Inuit born in Pt. Barrow, Alaska--was stopped at the border and held there for 24 hours while INS attempted to figure out if Eskimos were Mexican or not. |
Oh my . . . that is . . . a Mastercard moment (Priceless )
They should have just Googled it . . .
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:45 pm |
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^lol, googled it. I think that this is not an improvment for security. Better, at least in Mexico, etc? Yes. Canada, maybe not so much. But will it REALLY help us? I think not.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
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| Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:50 pm |
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| Republican_Man wrote: | | But will it REALLY help us? I think not. |
I think that it would be enormously effective if the principle of the passport system actually worked. The problem with passports, of course, is that because they are issued in a traveller's country of birth, the U.S. really has no way of controlling the authenticity of the passports.
With the report issued by our Auditor-General, even Canada has its problems with passports, apparently some people who aren't authorized to issue passports have been doing so anyway. Consequently, the passport security across borders breaks down because a terrorist would be issued a passport in Canada, and then cross the border.
It is better than the "flash-and-dash" method for security, but overall more inconvenient. Since this won't be implemented for another few years, hopefully Canada will do something about its national security. (But probably not.)
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