Posted on 04/06/2005 9:17:23 AM PDT by Archangelsk
The era of easy travel for U.S. citizens returning from Latin America and the Caribbean is over. Within months they will have to present passports -- instead of driver's licenses or birth certificates -- if they want to clear passport control.
By year's end, the U.S. government will require Americans returning by air or sea from the Caribbean and Central and South America to carry U.S. passports -- a major change in travel procedures for citizens who for decades have been readmitted by merely flashing a driver's license or a birth certificate.
It's the first in a series of phased-in security initiatives announced Tuesday.
In South Florida, with its multitude of southbound flights and cruises, the measure is expected to have a big impact. The region is a jumping-off point to resorts such as Cancun and Jamaica and other Caribbean islands where Americans are accustomed to simply hopping on a plane without a passport. Many of these countries only require a birth certificate from American visitors as proof of citizenship.
The latest tightening of immigration controls, set to start Dec. 31, came about partly as a result of an embarrassing episode in which congressional investigators sneaked into the country using fake licenses and certificates. Those incidents included at least one at Miami International Airport.
Announced Tuesday, the measure is the first post-9/11 travel restriction aimed at United States citizens as opposed to foreigners. U.S. authorities already have intensified controls for foreign visitors, most of whom must be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival.
PENALTIES UNCLEAR
Authorities didn't say what penalties, if any, U.S. citizens without passports may encounter -- but travelers can expect to be pulled from checkpoint lines and endure exhaustive questioning by immigration authorities to determine their identities.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking about the travel measures in an Associated Press interview, said the United States had to take every precaution to screen out ``people who want to come in to hurt us.''
Rice said the change was made after consultation with Mexico, Canada and other governments in the Western Hemisphere. It follows a March summit of President Bush, President Vicente Fox of Mexico and Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada.
In the second phase, starting Dec. 31, 2006, travelers arriving from Canada and Mexico by air or sea also will be required to present passports. On Dec. 31, 2007, the rule will apply to air, sea and land entries from all foreign points.
Airline reservations agents will have to notify passengers about the passport requirement when they book trips, while airport ticket agents will verify that travelers have the documents.
Travel industry reaction was mixed.
''Anything that enhances the security of the country and enhances the safety and security of our passengers and crew, we're in favor of,'' said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.
Cruise passengers departing from South Florida will also feel the impact.
''While we are in full support of measures designed to increase security, we have some serious concerns about the timeline,'' said Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz.
Jorge Lomonaco, the Mexican consul in Miami, agreed that the measure may affect travel to popular Caribbean tourist destinations where tens of thousands of American travelers fly every year from South Florida.
But he also said he does not believe U.S. travelers with longstanding plans to visit Caribbean beach resorts will cancel trips just because they don't have a U.S. passport.
''The majority of our competitors in the so-called sun-and-sand tourism are in the same condition,'' Lomonaco said. ``We allow U.S. travelers to enter with their birth certificates. A passport is not a requirement. So the implementation of this new measure will probably have a similar effect on all the destinations.''
Perhaps the biggest impact won't be felt until the end of 2006, when Canadians and legal Mexican border visitors will be required to show passports when entering the United States.
WIDE-REACHING
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, for example, says that hundreds of thousands of Canadian visitors who frequently travel to or live in South Florida will be affected.
The bureau said Canadians make up the largest contingent of foreign travelers to Broward, with about 610,000 visiting in 2004.
Canadian authorities have warned Canadian travelers to the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that it is preferable to carry a Canadian passport when visiting the United States due to increased border scrutiny.
''While U.S. authorities currently do not have a legal requirement that Canadians carry a passport, Foreign Affairs Canada strongly urges all Canadians traveling to the United States to obtain and carry a Canadian passport before leaving Canada,'' says a website of the Canadian Consular Affairs Bureau, www.voyage.gc.ca/ consular_home-en.esp.
In January 2003, the Government Accountability Office revealed that investigators carrying fake birth certificates and driver's licenses had entered the United States at Miami International Airport and land border crossings simply by showing the documents or claiming to be citizens.
An official familiar with the probe said one incident involved two GAO investigators who arrived at MIA from Jamaica
Try $97!!!
The passport fee is $55. The security surcharge is $12. The execution fee is $30. The total is $97. ---US Department of State Website
The cost is actually $97. As of last month, a $12 "security surcharg" was added, and there is a $30 processing fee which is paid to the library, post office, or other acceptance center.
This fee will get you your passport in five to six weeks. If you need it sooner, you can pay more to expedite the service.
You're missing the point.
It's not about the money.
It's about the freedom.
Or loss of it.
Which, by itself, is a meaningless statistic. We'd have to know what percentage of Americans participate in international travel before the 20% figure becomes relevant.
I got mine before I went on a Caribbean cruise in 2001 even though I was told I wouldn't need it. If something had gone wrong at one of the port-of-calls (or is that ports-of-call?) I wanted to be able to prove I was a US citizen. Cheap insurance if you ask me.
P.S. The cruise was fantastic!
What's the big deal? They should have tightened border controls long ago.
I'm not for a "papers please" sort of society, but to show a passport upon entering a country does not seem like a burden...it's been that way in many countries for years.
I dunno. I always carry a few.
In different names and from different countries, of course!....
Right and the renewal fee has recently (like 2 weeks ago) increased from $55 to $67. Not really complaining, but just paid the fee and know whereof I speak.
Oh sure, that goes without saying. LOL!
Well they just said by air and sea. Which means drive overs to Niagra Falls and walk overs to Nogales and Mexican border cities won't be effected. Maybe that'll be phase two.
I agree. If I'm going to demand that everyone who enters this great country do so with legal papers, then I don't mind showing my proof no matter which direction I'm going. Why throw out the baby with the bathwater?
60% of Americans have been to either Canada or Mexico.
However, I would much rather see more vigorous enforcement action against illegal aliens, rather than cross border tourists. But that does not appear likely.
Gee, you must like the slippery slope.
Well, I was responding to an earlier post which appeared to be suggesting that this was designed to enhance revenue.
And as far as freedom goes, I love freedom, but when you travel outside of the United States you obviously travel at your own risk to begin with. Let's get real, this measure isn't going to cost anybody any freedom.
Hey, knock yourself out. As for me, I've only ever been to Mexico and Canada, and only three times since '78. The last was some 10 years ago. No biggie.
And that 60% doesn't necessarily include the illegals that came from there without a passport.. ;^)
This is getting like it was when I was stationed in Germany and crossed borders. Every person in europe virtually had a passport because they needed one to cross country lines. Like us needing one to cross from state to state here.
It cost $65- 75.00 about 9 years ago so it's gotta go up.
Oh My.!! were you born with this cynical flare, or did you learn it hanging out here at Freerepublic.?? :>}
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.