Concerns voiced over new border-crossing rules

The Homeland Security Department is on track to implement new border crossing requirements in June, but concerns persist that not enough U.S. citizens will have valid identity documents and that border crossing stations do not have adequate infrastructure to process tourists and business travelers quickly.

Beginning June 1, citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda must have a passport or other U.S.-approved document to enter the United States from countries within the Western Hemisphere. The new requirement, established by Congress, is part of the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative aimed at verifying the identity of travelers coming into the country.

Colleen Manaher, WHTI director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, expressed confidence Thursday at a forum hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars that the deadline will be met.

"They said it couldn't be done. They said we're going to fight you every step of the way," she said about critics of the initiative. "Well, all the pieces are in place -- documents, technology and infrastructure -- to meet the June 1, 2009, WHTI implementation date."

But others, especially Canadian officials, have doubts the new requirement will be implemented without problems. "I would like to say that we have indeed moved beyond the what and the why of WHTI to now evaluating the how," said Marianne Rude, Washington representative for the Canadian province of Manitoba. Rude said she was especially concerned that not enough U.S. citizens will have proper documentation to travel to and from Canada.

The U.S. government is allowing states to issue enhanced driver's licenses to comply with the new requirement. Additionally, the State Department is issuing U.S. citizens new, wallet-sized passport cards to meet the requirement. Both documents contain a radio frequency identification chip.

"I think the document possession rate is really key. I can't stress enough how much Canadian communities, in particular, are concerned about that," Rude said. "Since the year 2000, U.S. visits to Canada have dropped by 41 percent. A lot of factors have played a part in that but enhanced border procedures and unclear document requirements have certainly played a role."

Another concern is that CBP does not have adequate infrastructure and enough personnel at border crossing stations to process travelers, said Angelo Amador, director of immigration policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He said CBP needs billions of dollars in additional funding, adding that the Chamber is lobbying Congress for such spending. He said the agency should also study wait times at border crossing stations and evaluate how many U.S. citizens have canceled, or will cancel, visits to Canada.

"We continue to believe that more cost analysis and more studies should be done," he said. Manaher acknowledged that CBP faces challenges in making physical improvements to border crossing stations, mainly because they are locked in often crowded locations. But she said the agency is opening lanes at border posts with technology to read documents with RFID chips. The lanes are expected to expedite the processing of travelers who have those documents.

"Once you see it I think you might change your mind about the true benefits of WHTI," she said.