Rangel Backs Delay In US Passport Initiative

by Leroy Baker, Tax-News.com, New York

14 June 2007

US Congressman Charles B. Rangel has praised the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for allowing Americans to temporarily travel to Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean without a passport, as long as they have proof of having applied for one.

"I have to commend DHS for listening to the needs of Americans, who often just wanted to see loved ones abroad or take a well-deserved vacation," said Rangel. "They have shown real leadership in trying to correct a mistake, instead of blindly following a course that is clearly having problems."

On June 8, the US government announced that US citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda who have applied for but not yet received passports can nevertheless temporarily enter and depart from the United States by air with a government issued photo identification and Department of State official proof of application for a passport, through September 30, 2007. This was due to longer than expected processing times for passport applications in the face of record-breaking demand, the government said.

The State Department's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) was intended to strengthen border security and facilitate entry into the United States for citizens and legitimate international visitors, as mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. However, as early as last fall, Rangel and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus had urged the agency to revisit their decision. DHS conceded, and announced that it would delay the implementation of the requirements until June 1, 2009 for land crossings at the borders and for cruise passengers traveling within the Western Hemisphere.

The delay did little to prevent record number of applications and long waiting times since the beginning of the year. Rangel said his offices were being inundated with phone calls from constituents who had applied in some cases as early as February. Rangel said the issue was symptomatic of some of the problems that DHS and immigration officials experience in processing not just passport requests, but visa petitions and citizenship applications.

"We need to wait until we have the technology and personnel in place to process the demand for all these applications," said the Congressman. "Security is not just about regulations. We have to invest the time and money to help provide federal agencies with practical resources that they need to implement these requirements."

DHS officials said that travelers who have not applied for a passport should not expect to be accommodated. The temporary decision also does not affect entry requirements to other countries. Americans traveling to a country that requires passports must still present those documents.

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