Chertoff to critics: Grow up

Oral declarations of citizenship when re-entering the United States through land-crossing points will be a thing of the past within two weeks.

New regulations from the Department of Homeland Security that go into effect Jan. 31 will require a valid passport or both a government-issued photo identification and proof of citizenship when returning to the United States from Mexico.

In most cases, persons without passports must show both a driver’s license and a certified birth certificate.

Persons born outside the United States must show a government-issued ID card — such as a driver’s license — with a naturalization document, Felix Garza, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said.

Children under 18 will only be required to present proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

All existing non-immigrant visa and passport requirements will remain in effect and will not be altered by the new rule.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told The Associated Press on Thursday that new border crossing rules that will take effect this month are a necessity to prevent another Sept. 11-style attack.

Current policy allows U.S. citizens to re-enter the country by making a verbal declaration, Garza said.

“If people said they were American citizens, in most cases, unless we had reason to believe they weren’t, we allow re-entrance without asking for proof of citizenship,” Garza said.

By next year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda to have a passport that will establish identity and nationality when entering or re-entering the United States.

The WHTI was supposed to go into effect later this year, but legislation passed by Congress last month extended the deadline requiring passports until June 2009.

But that legislation does not prevent DHS from using its broad authority to control admission by setting standards for what is acceptable for entry into the United States, said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, said he is concerned by how quickly the DHS has decided to implement this measure.

“There is no doubt that we need to be vigilant about our border security,” Hinojosa said. “But we need to take into account the incredible impact such a change will have at our crossings.”

Hinojosa added that the South Texas region already suffers from long border lines.

“If we are not fully prepared, this change could seriously disturb our economy and the livelihoods of our residents who depend on an efficient flow of traffic across our borders,” Hinojosa said.

Cornyn, ranking member of the Immigration and Border Security subcommittee, said Thursday that statements made by Chertoff highlight the need for Congress to pass legislation he introduced last month.

The bill would require construction of additional inspection lanes at U.S. ports of entry in Texas, a news release from Cornyn’s office said.

It also authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire more inspectors and provide recruitment and retention incentives for all officers who serve on the southern and northern borders.

“It is critical that we secure our borders and know who is entering our country and why. But we must balance security with legitimate trade and travel,” Cornyn said Thursday.

Chertoff also predicted longer lines at the border at the beginning of the rule implementation.

“I’m quite sure that in the initial period of our new system, until people get the message, there will be some delays,” he said. “I can guarantee if we don’t make this change eventually there will come a time when someone will come across the border exploiting the vulnerabilities in the system and some bad stuff will happen and then there’ll be another 9/11 commission and we’ll have people come saying ‘Why didn’t we do this?’”

Chertoff bristled at criticism that such extra security may be too inconvenient for those crossing the northern and southern borders.

“It’s time to grow up and recognize that if we’re serious about this threat, we’ve got to take reasonable, measured but nevertheless determined steps to getting better security,” Chertoff said.

Cameron County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said Chertoff’s comments may have been made out of simply frustration.

“I think what he’s trying to say is that we’ve got some security issues and there are some people along the border that don’t feel all this is necessary,” Cascos said.

“I’m just seeing there’s a lot frustration on the federal government’s side and the local community.”

Cascos has written a letter to local congressional representatives asking they get a committee formed to determine what is contributing to the back logs at the international bridges.

The judge said it may not be that there are not enough inspection lanes open, but the lack of northbound traffic lanes leading into Brownsville.

For example, the Gateway International Bridge has only two northbound traffic lanes while there are at least five U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection lanes open.

He said there is another question, too: if there is so much traffic, why has the county experienced a decrease in bridge revenues at its international bridges.

“I don’t think it’s going to get better until someone comes up with a one size fits all,” Cascos said.

The federal government took a big step on in accommodating Rio Grande Valley residents who plan to take day trips across the U.S.-Mexico border by introducing the new “passport card.”

The passport cards will be credit-card size and won’t include personal information. They will have an imbedded serial number linked to personal information on file with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The passport cards will cost $45 for persons who do not have a passport, and $20 for passport holders. Passport cards for children under age 14 will cost $35. Applications for the new “passport card” will be available on Feb. 1, Garza said.

The cheaper price of the passport card is already having an impact on local passport applications.

At the Cameron County District Clerk’s office, office manager Rosie Sheldon-Sotelo says her staff had been processing nearly 100 passport applications a day, but those numbers have dropped significantly.

“Now we are getting lots of calls about the passport cards," Sheldon-Sotelo said. "We don’t have long lines at our office.”

She said her office had planned a mega passport fair for this month, but is now scheduling it for February so residents can apply for passports or the new, less expensive passport cards.

Sheldon-Sotelo says residents will still need a birth certificate U.S. identification card and passport photos to apply for the passport card.

Applications will be available at post offices and the passport cards should be delivered to applicants by mid-spring of this year, Garza said.

Valley Freedom Newspapers staff members Diana Maldonado, Laura Martinez and Clarissa Martinez contributed to this report.