Chertoff vows to improve screening at border crossings

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff vowed Tuesday that his department will stiffen security at the nation's ports of entry, one day after government investigators reported that thousands of foreigners were allowed to enter the United States improperly in fiscal 2006.

During a news conference covering a range of border security initiatives, Chertoff said Customs and Border Protection will end the days of "waving people through [checkpoints] with a nod and a wink." GAO reported Monday that CBP allowed "several thousand inadmissible aliens and other violators" to enter the country though ports of entry in fiscal 2006.

Starting in January, Chertoff said, the department will require U.S. and Canadian travelers to present secure identification documents in order to enter the country at land crossings. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a limited number of identification documents will be accepted. Border inspectors accept about 8,000 different identification documents, including an array of birth certificates. Chertoff said he is also working with CBP officials to determine appropriate staffing levels for border checkpoints, and whether more traffic lanes can be installed at some crossings. "All of these steps are exactly the solution to the problem that GAO has identified," Chertoff said.

Chertoff said additional security measures can be inconvenient, which can lead to opposition. The department, for example, faced an onslaught of criticism after it began requiring air travelers in January to present a passport to enter the United States when traveling from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and Caribbean nations.

The department had to suspend the rule because travelers were unable to get new passports from the State Department in time for their trips. Also, lawsuits have been filed against a rule requiring employers to verify the Social Security numbers of their workers, and against the department's efforts to build fencing along the southern border.

Chertoff vowed to continue using the department's authority to enforce immigration and border laws while again urging Congress to pass a law that would give millions of foreigners a legal way to temporarily work in the United States.

"In the end, I ask Congress to come back to the table and talk about how we might address this problem," he said. "I just think it's time for Congress again to look at this problem comprehensively."

On a related issue, Chertoff said his department and the Labor Department are going to propose rules expanding how employers can use the H2-A visa program, which allows foreigners to enter the country for seasonal agricultural work. The Labor Department will also notify state employment agencies to verify the legal status of workers. More information on the efforts was not available at presstime.

Chertoff added that Homeland Security is enhancing its E-Verify program, a voluntary program that employers can use to verify the legal status of their workers. The enhancements will allow employers to check a worker's identity using photographs. Chertoff said about 30,000 employers are using E-Verify.