Chertoff walks away from U.S.-Canada border negotiations

It is hard to know who to blame for this one. Negotiations between DHS and Canadian authorities over the pre-clearance of travelers have broken down, Canadian Press reported last week. The proposed program, which is modelled on the much-hailed Peace Bridge, was intended to be expanded to other border crossing, and experts expected that it would help resolve traffic snarls that cost Canada C$8 billion a year. According to CP, “the main sticking point was Homeland’s unwillingness to accept Canada’s legal problem with having US authorities take fingerprints of people who approach the border but decide not to cross.” Such a procedure is contrary to Canadian law, which does not permit fingerprinting except where a person volunteers or has been arrested. Such a refusal, however, is also contrary to the animating principle of the current administration. According to a Capital Hill source, DHS would not accept as an alternative Canada’s promise to cooperate in investigation of suspicious people who approach but do not cross the border. “The Attorney General’s office really just wants to grab as much biometric information as it can,” said the source.