Bush caves to Fox - no US Visit processing for Mexican BCC visa holders

Frontera Tijuana ^ | 03/05/04 | Mexican Wire Services

[Pa' fuera]

More than 10 million mexicans with border crossing cards will not be processed when they enter the United States for visits of less that 72 hours or visits that do not extend beyond the 40 kilometer border region, announces Homeland Security under-secretary Asa Hutchinson.

Giving testimony before the Government Reform Comitte in the House of Representatives, Hutchinson specified that BCC (Border Crossing Card) holders will be photographed and fingerprinted, like other visitors, if they spend more than 72 hours in the US or travel beyond the 25-mile border region.

“The BCC already incorporates the biographic and biometric data of the visitor, he added, by warning that the card carrier is using it in a manner different from its purpose.”

“Those carriers who use the card as a visa by traveling beyond the border region and stay longer than 3 days in the US – will be processed (through US Visit) in the Secondary Inspection area, like other visitors are”, explained Hutchinson.

If the use of the BCC is as a local pass, the holder will not be processed.

The US Visit program, which began to function last year, and was installed in 115 airports and 14 ports on January 5, gathers the biometric data of visitors to the US to verify their identity and compares the data on the visa with the data integrated into a system that eventually will house millions of foreign visitors’ photos and fingerprints.

Hutchison stated that there are already numerous security measures in place on both the Canadian and Mexican borders.

The system was put into place as a consequence of the September 11 terrorist attacks, when extremist islamics who had overstayed their visas hijacked four passenger aircraft and were able to crash three of them into the twin towers of New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Some three thousand people died in the attacks.

The exemption is considered as a gesture to president Vicente Fox, who this weekend will visit President Bush in his Crawford, Texas ranch. It is also seen as a measure to facilitate trans-border commerce.

The Border Crossing Cards are normally given to people who live in the border zone once a criminal background check has been performed and after the individual has been interviewed and screened by State Department personnel.

The majority have businesses or jobs or need to make quick visits to the US side of the border.

Hutchison also informed that Homeland Security will implement pilot programs this year at the 50 busiest cross-border locations, using machine readers of the biometric information contained on BCCs and visas. These programs have the objective of improving border administration and to expedite the crossing of the BCC and biometric visa holders.

[hedgetrimmer]

In January, the prime minister of Canada spoke at the Summit of the Americas, and praised the FTAA in spanish, french and english.

[hedgetrimmer]

Several recent setbacks have highlighted the precariousness of Bush's FTAA negotiating strategy, the most important of which comes at the summit of G8 industrial nations in Evián, France that began on Sunday. There, President Luís Ignacio "Lula" da Silva of Brazil is proposing the creation of two new multilateral funds, one to support programs to eliminate world hunger and the other for needed infrastructure investment in Latin America specifically; Lula has hinted that American support for the latter fund will be a necessary quid pro quo for Brazil's willingness to move forward in FTAA negotiations, which Brasilia and Washington now co-chair.
http://adam.antville.org/stories/410153
***
Sheesh! Talk about global welfare,hemispheric welfare, and corporate welfare because the taxpayers will be forced to pay this not the corporations who want to do business with these countries.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. why can't they use that photo and fingerprint info ..??

[dalebert]

Of course I do. But Mexican press is worse than ours about straying from the truth. Manufacturing news is more like it. I don't have much faith in it.

[hedgetrimmer]

Which press do you like?

[yonif]

Ping.

[CWOJackson]

LOL! This non-story has a thousand lives.

[k2blader]

Pa',

As related to your earlier thread Bush caves to Fox - no US Visit processing for Mexican BCC visa holders just thought I'd do a one-time ping to you and Don.

[Don Joe]

Several recent setbacks have highlighted the precariousness of Bush's FTAA negotiating strategy, the most important of which comes at the summit of G8 industrial nations in Evián, France that began on Sunday. There, President Luís Ignacio "Lula" da Silva of Brazil is proposing the creation of two new multilateral funds, one to support programs to eliminate world hunger and the other for needed infrastructure investment in Latin America specifically; Lula has hinted that American support for the latter fund will be a necessary quid pro quo for Brazil's willingness to move forward in FTAA negotiations, which Brasilia and Washington now co-chair.
http://adam.antville.org/stories/410153
***
Sheesh! Talk about global welfare,hemispheric welfare, and corporate welfare because the taxpayers will be forced to pay this not the corporations who want to do business with these countries.

So, in essence, a tariff (or rather a pair of tariffs) -- except we can't use that word, because we're having "free trade".

Very droll.

What a CoS.

[Marine Inspector]

Well .. why can't they use that photo and fingerprint info ..??

US-VIST is designed to stop visa fraud.

When an applicant applies for a visa, their fingerprints and photograph are taken.

When a person enters the US on a visa, we take the person’s fingerprints and photo and US-VIST checks those against the fingerprints and photo of the person that applied for the visa.

US-VIST takes the human error out of visa fraud. A human will almost never be able to detect a good counterfeit visa (the kind the terrorist use), while US-VIST will detect it 100% of the time.

The Mexican Border Crossing Card (visa) is the most counterfeited US visa.

While I understand that this will cause delays, what is more important to us, our safety or the appeasement of Mexico?

Marine Inspector

[Marine Inspector]

No doubt if this had been 'citizens', numerous charges would have been *easily* filed.

We can’t deport a citizen.

Marine Inspector

[steve50]

There, President Luís Ignacio "Lula" da Silva of Brazil is proposing the creation of two new multilateral funds, one to support programs to eliminate world hunger and the other for needed infrastructure investment in Latin America specifically;

Brazil and Argentina have been telling the IMF to stuff it lately, so you know they'll get about anything they want to make sure they continue to play the IMF game.

[CyberAnt]

Thanks for the great explanation. Now I can see why taking the photo and fingerprints again may be necessary.

I understand from the President's news conference today, that the President said the decision to do or not to do the photo or fingerprints for those who are only here for a few hours within close proximity of the border - HAS NOT BEEN DECIDED YET.

So .. I guess "Bush caves to Fox" is a little premature.

[Marine Inspector]

I understand from the President's news conference today, that the President said the decision to do or not to do the photo or fingerprints for those who are only here for a few hours within close proximity of the border - HAS NOT BEEN DECIDED YET.

So .. I guess "Bush caves to Fox" is a little premature.

Not really.

We, BCP, knew we were not going to do this over a month two ago.

These talks between Mexico and the US have been going on since US-VIST was just an idea.

Bush caved months ago.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. that's not what the President said today - and I have no reference for him saying one thing and doing another.

[dalebert]

None. I keep up with what is reported on but most of the time it takes a few days to months for the truth to come out. Freepers seem to be pretty good at digging for the truth.

[txdoda]

Well .. that's not what the President said today - and I have no reference for him saying one thing and doing another.>>>>>>>>>

LOL.......try reading it *again*......Bush allowed Fox to announce it was CONFIRMED today that mexicans w/visas would NOT be photographed/fingerprinted at the borders......

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040306-3.html

(snip)
FOX: "And that is why we welcome President Bush's proposal that he made in January. And that is why, in our meetings, we worked to advance this proposal, and that's what we have been doing today. We welcome the news that was confirmed today with regard to visitors to the U.S. from Mexico. We recognize the value to those who come to the United States to work, to study, to contribute. And we appreciate what this will do to the flow of visitors now that they will not have to be photographed or fingerprinted at the frontier for short visits to the United States. We appreciate what that will do the flow of people coming to this country."

"The other good news this year is the -- about the NAFTA visa for professionals, that allows professionals to come and work in either country and contribute to both."

(snip)
PRESIDENT BUSH: "Well, we just -- the President just discussed the border crossing cards, the issue of the border crossing cards. And he discussed the professional visas. And so we're making progress."

[txdoda]

The Mexican Border Crossing Card (visa) is the most counterfeited US visa.>>>>>>>>

LOL......They have even caught MEXICAN CONSULS selling forged mexican visa's.

So what's to stop the mexicans from just *lending* out their approved cards, if no one is now checking them at the borders ??

[txdoda]

This non-story has a thousand lives.>>>>>>>

"Non-Story" ???

According to the Whitehouse link in post # 117, Fox CONFIRMED that mexicans w/visaa would NOT be checked at the borders, & GWB did not disagree with him.

[txdoda]

Your headline is a lie; this was announced before Fox even got here.>>>>>>>>

Yes, & when Fox got here, he CONFIRMED this BAD NEWS (and more) at the press conference today.


http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040306-3.html

(snip)
FOX: "And that is why we welcome President Bush's proposal that he made in January. And that is why, in our meetings, we worked to advance this proposal, and that's what we have been doing today. We welcome the news that was confirmed today with regard to visitors to the U.S. from Mexico. We recognize the value to those who come to the United States to work, to study, to contribute. And we appreciate what this will do to the flow of visitors now that they will not have to be photographed or fingerprinted at the frontier for short visits to the United States. We appreciate what that will do the flow of people coming to this country."

"The other good news this year is the -- about the NAFTA visa for professionals, that allows professionals to come and work in either country and contribute to both."

(snip)
PRESIDENT BUSH: "Well, we just -- the President just discussed the border crossing cards, the issue of the border crossing cards. And he discussed the professional visas. And so we're making progress."