border crossings

[Igor Loving]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans will need passports to re-enter the United 
States
from Canada, Mexico, Panama and Bermuda by 2008, part of a tightening of 
U.S.
border controls in an era of terrorist threat, three administration 
officials
said Tuesday.

Similarly, Canadians will also have to present a passport to enter the 
United
States, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Canadians 
have
been the only foreigners allowed to enter the United States with just a 
driver's
license.

An announcement, expected later Tuesday at the State Department, will 
specify
that a passport or another valid travel document will have to be shown by 
U.S.
citizens, the officials said.

Until now, Americans returning home from Canada have needed only to show a
driver's license or other government-issued photo identification card.

Americans returning from Mexico, Panama or Bermuda currently need only a
government-issued photo identification card plus proof of U.S. citizenship 
like
an original birth or naturalization certificate, according to the State
Department's Web site.

The new rules, to be phased in by January 1, 2008, were called for in
intelligence legislation approved last year by Congress.

Safeguarding U.S. borders is a top concern of U.S. intelligence and security
officials. The concern increased after the September 11, 2001, terror 
attacks on
the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon.

The travel industry has raised concerns that the changes might hamper 
tourism,
one official said.

The announcement follows a three-way summit last month that President Bush 
held
with Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada and President Vicente Fox of 
Mexico.

Speaking at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Bush said border controls with
Mexico had to be tightened to make sure that terrorists, drug runners, gun
runners and smugglers do not enter the United States.

Besides a passport, re-entering Americans could use another approved travel
document like frequent travel cards, which are issued to some people who 
travel
often between the U.S. and Mexico. These cards typically are used to avoid 
long
border-crossing lines.

But in most cases, only passports will do, another U.S. official said.

The new system will deal first with the Caribbean, then Mexico and Canada. 
It
will start at airports and subsequently spread to land crossings, said an
official speaking on condition of anonymity.

U.S. inspectors will bear less of a burden with the changes because they 
won't
have to sift through different kinds of travel documents, the officials 
said.



Aloha:
Igor