Senators urge delay of new U.S.-Canada border ID rules

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Nineteen senators, including U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, have asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to delay implementation of stiff new identification requirements for people entering the United States by land and sea from Canada.

The Travel Industry Association, a major trade group, today also warned that the new ID requirements, which begin Thursday, could harm the U.S. economy by stymying travel.

But federal officials say the "honor system" of verbally declaring citizenship must end now.

Under the new law, travelers at land and sea crossings from Canada who are entering or returning to the U.S. must show proof of identity (government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license) plus proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate for travelers who don't already have a passport).

In a letter Monday to Secretary Michael Chertoff, the senators said commerce will be stifled and lives disrupted if federal officials go ahead Thursday with plans to end the practice of allowing people to enter after showing a document — such as a driver's license — and simply declaring their nationality.

"There is enormous downside and very little upside to the new hoops they want to put everyone through on the Canadian border," said U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "These paper padlocks won't make us safer."

Implementing the new rules now would violate the spirit of a law passed last month that delays until June 2009 a requirement that people carry passports or similar documents when entering the United States by land or sea, they said.

Under the new law, travelers at land and sea crossings who are entering or returning to the U.S. must show proof of identity (government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license) plus proof of citizenship (a birth certificate for those who don't have a passport).

The senators — 10 of whom are Republicans — want Chertoff to delay the new ID requirements until the federal government's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is fully implemented. The extra time is needed to ensure the requirements are implemented smoothly and do not disrupt commerce and lives along the border, they said.

"If these new requirements go into effect at the end of this month, travel to and from Alaska and other border states will be severely crippled," said U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican who co-sponsored the law delaying the passport requirement until 2009. "I strongly urge Secretary Chertoff to reconsider his decision to move forward with this ill-conceived plan."

The Travel Industry Association said the new ID requirements could hinder Canadians visiting the U.S.

"Canadians made more than 40 million visits to the United States in 2006, spending more than $13.5 billion," said a TIA statement issued today. Its president, Roger Dow, warned, "Just a five percent decline in Canadian visits to the United States could cost the American economy nearly $700 million."

Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said Monday people have known for months the new system was being implemented.

"We remain steadfast in our commitment to rejecting the honor system when deciding who to let into the United States. That's why we are moving forward with new procedures starting this Thursday, Jan. 31," Keehner said. "This department cannot ignore the lessons that we learned from Sept. 11, 2001, nor can we faithfully strengthen border security yet leave this vulnerability in status quo."

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency tasked with the new policy, said he wasn't expecting any problems Thursday. No one will be denied entry into the United States if they don't have the required paperwork, he said.

"The officers are well aware of the documentary requirements," said Customs and Border Protection spokesman Ted Woo. "This is only an educational period. Wait times are going to be very closely monitored."

Travelers who don't have the required identification will be given a flyer explaining the new rules and could face secondary screening. It's unclear how long the grace period will last.

The letter was signed by Sens. Leahy; Stevens, R-Alaska; Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Norm Coleman R-Minn.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Larry Craig, R-Idaho; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Pete Domenici, R-N.M.; Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Carl Levin, D-Mich.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Bernard Sanders, I-Vt.; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; John Sununu, R-N.H.; George Voinovich, R-Ohio; and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

Kristin Jackson of Seattle Times Travel contributed to this report.