Congress seeks to delay border security rule

[Gunny]

WASHINGTON - Congress is seeking to delay a new security rule requiring passports at all U.S. border crossings next year in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last summer's vacation-killing backlog of passport applications.

The Bush administration said Monday it opposed the measure and still plans to go forward with implementing the planned passport rule next summer.

Lawmakers said Monday that under a major end-of-the-year spending bill to be voted on this week, the border passport rule would be moved back even further, to no earlier than June 1, 2009.

more ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22300733/

Putting tourism ahead of security. Smart.

 

[midcan5]

"The first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or WHTI, went into effect earlier this year, requiring U.S. travelers returning by plane from Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean to carry a passport. As a result of the new requirements, demand for passports soared and the State Department issued a record 18.4 million passports in fiscal year 2007, compared to 12.1 million in 2006.

As a result, wait times for passports ballooned from four to six weeks to 12 weeks, but they have since returned to normal."

Funny how this has changed. We have traveled to Canada and Mexico often and being asked for passports is strange today, and while a pain, one you can and should put up with it. But I doubt it makes us any safer from crackpots.

"The visa system failed to prevent the 2001 terrorist hijackers, mostly Saudis, from entering the country.

All 19 hijackers had visas; one a student visa and the rest, business/tourist visas. All of the men violated some aspect of immigration law, such as presenting manipulated passports or attending flight school without authorization. All submitted applications denying that they would engage in terrorist activity."

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-09-11-911-travel_N.htm