Apr 16 2005

Bush Asks For Leniency in Proposed Plans to Require Passports to Enter the U.S.

This week, President Bush stated that he has ordered an official review of proposed plans to tighten rules of re-entry at the Mexican and Canadian land borders. According to Bush, the plans to require passports for everyone entering the U.S., regardless of their citizenship status, could “disrupt the honest flow of traffic.” Bush has asked the Secretary of State and representatives at the Department of Homeland Security to check for alternative processes. More flexibility, Bush says, could include electronic fingerprinting imaging that could serve as “so-called passport[s]” for individuals entering the U.S. through these borders.

Under the proposed new guidelines, all Americans would be required to show passports to come back to the United States, as of 2008. These rules would apply to Americans traveling from Mexico and Canada, along with Bermuda, the Caribbean and Panama. In addition, all citizens of these countries would be required to show a passport prior to entering the United States.