Schumer Announces DHS to Be Given 18 Month Extension to Come up With the Right Alternatives to Passports That Will Protect Both Security and Northern

Schumer Announces DHS To Be Given 18 Month Extension To Come Up With The Right Alternatives To Passports That Will Protect Both Security And Northern Border Commerce

Schumer Aggressively Lobbied For The DHS Appropriations Conference Report To Keep Measure Which Extends Start Date Of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Senator: We Must Secure Border And Protect Cross-Border Commerce At The Same Time

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been given an 18 month extension for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The DHS Appropriations Conference Report keeps language that will allow DHS to come up with the right passport alternatives to protect both security and Northern Border commerce. The WHTI rule was supposed to go into effect in January 2008, and yet DHS still lacks a plan that would improve border security while the minimizing the impact of changes in border security documentation requirements on border communities.

"We need both security and commerce on our Northern Border, and this ensures we can do both," Schumer said. "The passport proposal was poorly thought out and did not take into account how the border works in New York -- where people cross it all the time for work, shopping and leisure. This time will help to make sure that any requirements do not deflate cross border commerce and tourism. We now need DHS to focus on creative solutions that better achieves both security and efficient commerce along the US-Canada border."

The DHS Appropriations Conference Report, passed by the House-Senate Conference Committee late last night and is expected to pass both the House and the Senate this week , included an extension for the implementation date for the WHTI to June 1, 2009 in order to ensure that new border security measures have a minimal impact on border commerce. Under this measure, the program could be implemented earlier if DHS and State meet certification requirements that include collaboration with Canada and Mexico, technology, infrastructure, border agent training and the treatment of children seeking to cross the border. If Congress certifies that these requirements have been met, WHTI could be implemented earlier than that date.

Schumer emphasized that national security is always his top priority, but that the federal government must protect the homeland without crippling cross-border commerce or the travel and tourism industry. A final plan must address the concerns of businesses leaders and the law enforcement community where the economy is dependent upon Canadian trade and commerce. According to the Canadian Consulate, Canada is New York's largest trading partner and Canada trade is related to 348,000 jobs in New York State.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=263870&&year=2006&