Posted on 09/26/2006 10:44:52 AM PDT by Heartofsong83
Top U.S. legislators agree on extending deadline for passports 33 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (CP) - U.S. legislators on a bi-partisan committee have agreed to extend the deadline of tough new identification measures at the Canada-U.S. border for 17 months.
The delay is included in a funding bill for the Homeland Security Department that authorizes new fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico. It still needs to clear Congress, but observers are optimistic of its passage. The vote could come as soon as Thursday before legislators hit the campaign trail for the mid-term elections in November.
The rule requiring passports or another high-technology document to enter the U.S. at land borders was supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, 2008. But negotiators from the House of Representatives and Senate say they want to push it back to June 1, 2009.
Canadian officials have been saying for months the time frame is too tight to implement the security measure without causing havoc at the border.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered that message to President George W. Bush when he visited the White House in July. Bush signalled then that he wouldn't stand in the way if Congress decided to alter the time frame.
a bad move.
I agree.
The date should have been moved up to Jan. 1, 2007.
What difference would that make in eliminating terrorist crossings? There are two ways to prevent terrorist entrance: 1) Fight them one-on-one, or 2) Ban any entrance or exit into countries involved.
Will passports be required to go through border checkpoints, or will drivers licenses or ID cards with biometric ID features be allowed?
Right now, it seems only passports.
I believe that they should require something biometric - regardless of country - to come through. However, for key allied countries, that should be a mandatory ID card, done in cooperation with other countries.
That should be combined with a triple-layer border wall on the Mexican border and a quintuple-layer border wall on Mexico's southern borders...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
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