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.

[Don Joe]

Bush isn't caving to anybody - it's just the dept making a judgment to treat Canadians and Mexicans the same.

That would be great, if Canadians and Mexicans treated us the same.

Funny thing, though. While I've had no end of illegal Mexican "migrants" trespassing, stealing my property, dumping their garbage on my land, and so forth, I've never had any problems with Canadian illegals.

You think that could be because I live in a Northern border state, very close to the Canadian border?

Perhaps if I lived in Arizona, I'd have problems with Canadian illegals?

Go figure, eh?

[PRND21]

Despicable tactics, IMO.

Much like false headlines from Bush Bashers.

Four More Years

[Don Joe]

Blah blah blah.

Oh, my achin' ankles...

[PRND21]

Oh, my achin' ankles...

Jackboots will do that to you.

[Don Joe]

Jackboots will do that to you.

Don't overestimate yourself.

[Tamzee]

even stooping to invoking A.M. actions

Your whining is silly.... the rules state you do not change titles and your buddy did so quite blatantly. Or have you adopted the left-wing creed that rules are only for "other people"?

[Don Joe]

Yip! Yip! Yip!

Nitpick, nitpick, nitpick.

He finds a turd floating in your punchbowl, and you howl like a stuck pig over the spot on his necktie.

[AmishDude]

Do I hate it when people ask themselves questions just to answer them? Yes I do.

[Tamzee]

A crude and utterly useless post...

[CyberAnt]

I'm not happy with the illegals either - the southern border is just 38 miles from where I live.

But .. throwing stones at Bush WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

[AmishDude]

Holy crap! You sure are a single issue guy, aren't you? Well, two: immigration and hispanics.

[Don Joe]

No, the simple truth.

[Don Joe]

I'm not "throwing stones at Bush," I'm merely pointing out the fallacy of "treating Canadians and Mexicans the same way."

Different things require different treatment.

[Owen]

This PaFuera dood, if you check his posting history back about 3 yrs, posts about nothing other than Mexico. Our energy would be better spent arranging to GOTV in battleground states. This guy is a non-entity.

[Merdoug]

Give it up! These poor people will NEVER change their minds about their beloved Bush. They are JUST LIKE the clinton worshippers who supported the lier-in-Chief throughout the impeachment. Bush is selling us to the Mexicans and they simply refuse to see it. Love is blind.

[TigersEye]

President George W. Bush's supporters believe that he rejects this Kerry-Clinton worldview. They look forward to a national election in which voters get to choose between his Reaganesque philosophy of peace through American strength and Kerry's U.N. uber alles.

So why would the Bush administration be pushing for the ratification of a treaty that will make a giant leap towards John Kerry's world?

John Kerry’s Treaty - Outsourcing sovereignty

[norton]

OK, so provide us with some NEWS...
just how do we go about enforcing something that only becomes effective AFTER it's been breached...
"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."
....
AFTER 72 hours ????

[Don Joe]

This PaFuera dood, if you check his posting history back about 3 yrs, posts about nothing other than Mexico. Our energy would be better spent arranging to GOTV in battleground states. This guy is a non-entity.

SO WHAT!

Other posters post only about Israel. Others post only about the Second Amendment. Others post only about their cats, fer cryin' out loud.

Who appointed you uber-hallway-monitor?

[Tamzee]

In your special mind...

I'm finished wasting my time talking to you, goodbye.

[Don Joe]

I'm gonna hold you to that promise, sweetums.