Posted on 06/10/2006 10:26:49 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer
new system of screening travelers entering the United States significantly would enhance U.S. defenses against terrorism, says Paul Rosenzweig, acting assistant secretary for policy development at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) would require anyone crossing into the United States by land, air or sea first to present secure documentation that shows identity and nationality, Rosenzweig told the House Judiciary Committee's Immigration Subcommittee June 8. The initiative would require U.S. and Canadian citizens to do what citizens of most countries always have had to do when crossing national borders, he said.
By requiring that all individuals carry a passport or other acceptable documents, the WHTI would reduce the potential for identity fraud, he added. "Advanced technology imbedded in these travel documents, with appropriate privacy protections, will allow real-time checks against terrorist and immigration databases."
The need for more rigorous security standards has been underscored by recent arrests of suspected terrorists in Canada, Rosenzweig said. Moreover, "the number and types of documentation currently accepted -- often a driver's license or birth certificate -- are prone to counterfeiting and fraud and are obtainable by terrorists and other dangerous persons who wish to enter our country illegally," he told legislators.
He added that the U.S.-Canadian border traditionally has received less scrutiny than the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We enjoy a very close relationship with our Canadian neighbors, [both] culturally and economically, ... [yet] we are two distinct countries that share similar values but have diverse populations and have historically employed different immigration laws," said Rosenzweig.
Rosenzweig said that the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) -- launched in March 2005 by President Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canada's then-prime minister, Paul Martin -- also has played a key role in cementing a strong security partnership among the three neighboring North American countries. (See related article.)
A collaborative U.S.-Canadian approach to establishing appropriate documentation for border-crossing travelers is imperative because a senior Canadian intelligence official recently estimated that "approximately 20,000 immigrants have come to Canada from the Afghanistan/Pakistan region since 2001," said Rosenzweig.
An influx from such a volatile region could be problematic because "some extremists have demonstrated the ability to blend into a number of the large communities existing in major U.S. and Canadian cities," he said, adding that large cities offer opportunities for terrorists to conduct fund-raising and recruiting activities.
Rosenzweig said "the government of Canada has shown that it is taking strong action to protect itself, which also helps protect our citizens" and added that "the vast majority of persons who immigrate to Canada are law-abiding, simply seeking a better life for themselves and their families."
But "as populations increasingly mix and extremists recruit native-born youth and converts, travel documents become even more critical in identifying terrorists" and establishing their travel patterns, he said.
BALANCING SECURITY REQUIREMENTS WITH TRAVEL AND COMMERCE NEEDS
Notwithstanding their firm commitment to improve security, the United States and its neighbors want to ensure that legitimate travelers and legitimate cross-border commerce will not experience unreasonable delays, Rosenzweig said.
"It is important to bear in mind ... that security and commerce are not exclusive of each other," he said. "In fact, standardized and automated travel documents will enable us to quickly, reliably, and accurately identify a traveler and his or her citizenship without having to review an assortment of documents and pursue a line of questioning to determine who the person is; this will facilitate the entry of travelers."
To assist U.S. citizens, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State "are developing plans to produce an alternative form of the U.S. passport for use at land border crossings" since both agencies "realize that a traditional passport book may not be the most convenient or effective form of documentation for land border use, particularly for frequent crossers," he added.
A proposed travel card for U.S. citizens that would be issued by the Department of Homeland Security, "is envisioned as wallet-sized and convenient to obtain, costing the bearer substantially less than a traditional passport," he explained. "The card will contain security features and will use technology to link the identity and citizenship of the bearer to a U.S. government database in a privacy-protective manner."
Finally, the initiative would be implemented in two phases -- for entries via sea and air by 2007 and for land-border crossings by 2008, he said, adding that the Bush administration plans to “continue to work with Canada and Mexico, and our other Western Hemisphere neighbors, to ensure the successful implementation of this initiative."
The The full text (PDF, 10 pages) of Rosenzweig’s prepared remarks is available on the Web site of the House Judiciary Committee.
ping for future.
And a not so rhetorical question: Wasn't that supposed to be the purpose of adding biometric data to our driver's licenses a couple of years ago?
Nice thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1395988
Will this database be linked with Mexico and Canada and accessible by all three Governments?
It's ridiculous.
There are so many miles of border boondocks, this will just hassle law-abiding citizens, catch a few dumb crooks, and have no effect on sophisticated terrorist designs.
Waste of resources, misdirection of effort.
The maybe the NG is being sent to the wrong border?
Coming fast, coming hard.
Any of our "elected representatives" involved in this are traitors, pure and simple, to the extent this "Initiative" is a part of the North American Union.
Absolutely right, czar.
Big brother, always able to know everything about you at every checkpoint.
A United States of America comprised of the current country with the lands of Canada and Mexico could have advantages, although Mexico could have to develop a lot, get less corrupt, and increase per capita income. Canada in turn could have to get more sane and less liberal (and to some extent the same things as Mexico; Canada is not as developed as the current United States). The country would be the largest of the world's nations and would have lots of new resources, the largest amount of uranium of any country, lots of oil, lots of fresh water, lumber, diamonds, etc. Mexico also could provide a higher birth rate, thus keeping the United States as a developed country with a growing population.
No thanks. The trade off for free trade is too expensive. It sells out American sovereignty and buys into greater corruption.
"a senior Canadian intelligence official recently estimated that "approximately 20,000 immigrants have come to Canada from the Afghanistan/Pakistan region since 2001," said Rosenzweig."
I wonder how many Afghanistan/Pakistan region immigrants have come to the U.S. since 2001. Would make for an interesting comparison. How many has the U.S. let into our country?
One other disturbing factoid is that of the 1.5 million which, by itself,isn't an outrageous number there are an estimated 120,000 of them that are here illegally. THAT is outrageous. I would be very interested in how many of them came over the border from Canada.
How would American sovereignty be lost if the United States became larger? As for free trade, there is already free trade between the states of the Union. Making the country larger would simply increase the number of states. Was American sovereignty sold out when the Louisiana Purchase was bought, or after the MexicanAmerican War (although those lands were sparsely populated).
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