US proposes passport crackdown
New rules being proposed in the United States will mean that US citizens visiting Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will now have to carry passports.
While many people around the world would perhaps be surprised to find out that Americans are allowed to leave and enter their country without passports, many take trips to bordering countries armed only with other identification such as a driving licence or birth certificate.
According to the Arizona Republic newspaper, the proposed measures are designed to improve security at US borders, and would be phased in by 2007.
One Homeland Security official is quoted as saying: “By ensuring that travellers possess secure documents, such as the passport, Homeland Security will be able to conduct more effective and efficient interviews at our borders.”
The newspaper quotes a representative of the Border Trade Alliance, a group representing business in border areas of the USA, Canada and Mexico, as saying: “Visitors who might patronise pharmacies on the Mexican side of the border will now have to secure passports. The question is: will those visitors take the time to get passports, and will the State Department be able to meet the demand?”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com
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