Reps. Allen and Michaud Urge Homeland Security, State Departments to Reevaluate New Border Passport Policy

Reps. Allen and Michaud Urge Homeland Security, State Departments to Reevaluate New Border Passport Policy

Maine's Congressmen presented their concerns about severe, unjustified impacts on Mainers who travel frequently to Canada and on cross-border commerce

Washington, D.C.---U.S. Representatives Tom Allen and Mike Michaud today urged officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security to reevaluate a new policy the agencies have proposed that would require all travelers between Maine and Canada, beginning in 2008, to have a passport or other accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States. The policy is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a joint proposal by the two agencies to strengthen border security for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors.

"We expressed our apprehension about the hardships this new policy would bring into the every day lives of thousands of Mainers, as well as the undue burden it would impose on lower income people affected," Representatives Allen and Michaud said. "Maine shares a long rural border with our Canadian neighbors. Many people in northern Maine have family on both sides of this border, and it is not uncommon for individuals to cross the border several times daily. We also have concerns for the harmful consequences this policy will have on Maine businesses that rely on quick and easy border crossing procedures, such as trucking companies and the tourism industry. We strongly stated our misgivings about the negative effect these new requirements will have on cross-border commerce valuable to Maine."

Representatives Allen and Michaud stated their concerns during a meeting on Capitol Hill this afternoon with Frank Moss, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, and Michael Neifach, Director of Immigration Policy for the Department of Homeland Security's Directorate of Border and Transportation Security.

"Although, we fully appreciate the need for increased border security to prevent terrorists from entering our country, this new policy is not the best way to achieve that objective," Representatives Allen and Michaud said. "We believe it is possible to successfully secure our homeland from illegal and potentially dangerous border crossings, without causing unnecessary personal and economic hardship for our Maine citizens."

http://michaud.house.gov/newsroom_details.asp?id=412