The Department of Homeland Security announced proposed passport requirements on Tuesday that would do away with the Mexico-Canada exception to the passport rule by 2007. The measures are part of the federal government’s attempt to secure the borders against terrorist attacks, and represent a significant departure from the old system. As things stand now, a resident of San Diego or El Paso can drive just a couple miles into neighboring Mexican cities almost as if they never crossed the border at all. The new restriction, dubbed the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, would force those Americans to show a passport to get back home.
Getting a passport is not really a routine matter. While the State Department has 6,000 authorized passport centers nationwide, passports are cost prohibitive and cannot be obtained quickly. The minimum cost of a passport is $97, and it takes approximately six weeks to procure a passport. For an additional $60, one can get expedited service, which reduces the wait time to two weeks. In either case, Mexican tourism — especially at Spring Break — stands to lose from this proposal. College kids are hardly known for being flush with cash or good at planning ahead, so putting a $100 and six weeks’ advance requirement on planning those Spring Break trips to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta may keep the kids at home. The Arizona Republic reports:
Garrick Taylor, a spokesman with the Border Trade Alliance, a group representing businesses in Canada, the United States and Mexico, said he worries people won’t be aware of the passport requirements.
“You can imagine, for example, a college student making his or her way down to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco) only to find out a passport is now required for what was once a routine trip,” he said. “Winter visitors in Yuma County who might patronize pharmacies on the Mexican side of the border now will have to secure passports. The question is: Will those visitors take the time to get passports, and will the State Department be able to meet the demand?”
Business owners along the Arizona-Mexico border, especially those in Mexico, expressed concern about the proposed new travel rules.
“That will hurt our business,” predicted Eli Ibarra, manager for Cyndi’s Beach Home Rental in Puerto Peñasco. The business rents about 400 condominiums to visitors from Phoenix and Tucson who come to spend a weekend at the beach on the western Mexico coast. The beach resort is about four hours from Arizona.
“We get a lot of young people here, especially for spring break,” Ibarra said. “A lot of them probably don’t even have passports.”
The federal government, however, must balance these tourism-based concerns with homeland security, and it feels the nation will be safer with this initiative in place.
The administration’s goal is to make it easier for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors to enter the United States, said Randy Beardsworth, a top Homeland Security official.
“By ensuring that travelers possess secure documents, such as the passport, Homeland Security will be able to conduct more effective and efficient interviews at our borders,” he said.
Nathan Novak at 11:02 am
