American government officials announced this week that they are developing a less taxing alternative to the passport requirement for Americans reentering the United States from countries in the western hemisphere in a apparent easing of plans announced last year.
The Bahamas has until January 1, 2007 for travelers from here to the United States to present a passport or some other approved identification document upon their return.
But the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff disclosed that by the end of the year his department and the U.S. State Department would develop an inexpensive, efficient travel card system that would still meet with provisions of the law.
The option is being explored for those American travelers who make frequent trips to Canada and Mexico.
Initially, the department had said that all Americans would need passports to re-enter the United States from either country beginning in 2008.
Officials had originally proposed a deadline of January 1, 2006 for all Americans travelling by air or sea from the Caribbean region and Central and South America to have passports as a requirement upon their return to the U.S.
“This new People Access Security Service, or PASS system card, will be particularly useful for those citizens in border communities who regularly cross northern and southern borders every day as an integral part of their daily lives,” Mr. Chertoff said. “We’re talking about essentially like the kind of driver’s license or other simple card identification that almost all of us carry in our wallets day in and day out.”
Bahamian tourism officials had been overwhelmingly concerned that the new requirement might have adversely impacted the country’s prized industry and had committed to using the additional time to sufficiently inform travelers about it.
“It’s a huge issue for the region,” said Executive Vice President of the Bahamas Hotel Association Frank Comito. “The biggest concern right now is that there be a massive public awareness campaign on the part of the U.S. government, as well as the countries, airlines and tour operators to make sure people are aware and prepared,”
Conservative estimates are that only 25 percent of American visitors to The Bahamas carry passports.
Mr. Chertoff and the U.S. Secretary of State Condolezza Rice were announcing new changes to visa and border procedures.
Ms. Rice noted that between 2003 and 2004 the number of visitors to the United States had jumped 12 percent to 46 million, which she called the largest increase in a decade.
A statement from the U.S. embassy had conceded that implementing the requirements of legislation – passed by Congress in 2004 – would have potentially significant implications, hence a review of the original timeline.
Mr. Chertoff explained that gaining full control of our borders is a priority for the Department of Homeland Security to prevent illegal immigration and potential security breaches.
The Department of Homeland Security designed the Western Hemisphere Travel as a means of border protection from terrorism.
Although passports were identified as the document of choice for travel within the Western Hemisphere or re-entry, officials had indicated that Border Crossing Cards [BCC] or Laser Visas was another document anticipated to become acceptable under travel initiatives. Currently, the BCC serves in lieu of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the US from contiguous territory.
Other documents that were being considered for acceptance under this initiative are the Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 mandated that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present a passport, or other secure document when entering the United States.
Source: The Bahama Journal
