Alternative to passports for border crossing gains support in Senate
U.S. and Canadian business say that requiring passports along the U.S.-Canada border would hobble commerce; two U.S. senators support secure driver licenses as an alternative to passports
There is a very large amount of commerce and tourist traffic along the U.S.-Canada border, and DHS demands that Canadian citizens who cross into the United States, and U.S. citizens who go into Canada and come back use passports irks business leaders on both sides of the border.T hey believe the measure, if implemented, whould have a chilling effect on cross-border commerce and would cost the affected regions billions of dollars.
Canada, therefore, has been pushing for an alternative to passports at the border, and its idea has now received the support of two U.S. senators who want to give Americans the option of using secure driver’s licences at land crossings. Minnesota’s Norm Coleman and Susan Collins of Maine, both Republicans, have introduced a measure to create a national licence program, saying recent technological advances have made the documents good enough for weeding out terrorists. Their amendment would also require U.S. officials to wait on the passport plan until a pilot project using drivers’ licences at crossings between British Columbia and Washington state is evaluated.
That project does not start until January 2008, the date when DHS wants to start the land and sea phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Air travellers have needed passports since 23 January 2007, leading to long delays in getting the documents, a problem still plaguing both countries.
If the licence measure passes Congress, it would provide a huge boost for Canada’s hopes of using a similar type of document. Ontario is developing a new high-tech licence and Tourism Minister Jim Bradley has predicted U.S. authorities will warm to the idea of allowing it. Strengthening the security of licences is always a good idea, said DHS spokesperson Russ Knocke. He said, though, that he was not aware of “anything concrete” in terms of accepting them.
The Senate bill proposed by Coleman and Collins follows similar efforts by the House of Representatives to delay the security rule that requires proof of citizenship and other identifying information from travellers. The House passed measures this month requiring Homeland to do a time-consuming study of costs and benefits of requiring passports. As is the case with the Senate bill, the House bill wants proof U.S. passcards are being developed as a cheaper option.
