By Justin O'Brien
December 12, 2005

Conference Trustee and Co-Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Cities and Borders Task Force, Laredo Mayor Betty Flores continued to press high impact border issues with Congressional representatives last week. Sen. John Cornyn (TX) visited Laredo to discuss border security and pending passport requirements for border crossers, particularly the controversial Western Hemisphere Trade Initiative (WHTI) that will require cross-border U.S. travelers to present passports or other acceptable proof of citizenship when returning from Mexico or Canada. Cornyn's visit coincides with a renewed border security and immigration reform focus from the administration.

Cornyn brought the Senate Judiciary Committee's panel on immigration, border security and citizenship to Laredo Friday December 2nd.for a hearing at Texas A&M International University's Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade to review the WHTI and how the proposed passport rules, scheduled to go into effect next year, will affect trade and tourism. Cornyn is Chairman of the panel. Flores, State Department and Department of Homeland Security officials, and members of the business community also participated. "While we all agree that we have a responsibility to protect our borders and to know who crosses through the ports-of-entry, the process needs to be done in a manner that has the least impact on legitimate travelers, on businesses and on tourism," Cornyn said.

Cities and business groups throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico have expressed concern that WHTI requirements will inhibit and reduce travel and slow inspections at the border, with some suggesting that viable alternatives to the passport requirement at the land-based ports-of-entry already exist. Registered traveler cards such as NEXUS and SENTRI cards, Border Crossing Cards and FAST driver cards are currently used for cross-border travel. Some maintain that these are already tamper resistant, machine-readable and highly secure documents that already help secure the border while facilitating cross-border freight and visitor movement. In order to be eligible for any one of these documents, border-crossers must submit to a thorough background check that includes a determination of citizenship.

Small Travel Document Change Will Have Big Impact on National Economy

On a daily basis, U.S. customs agents process more than 20,000 pedestrians and 30,000 vehicles, both Mexican and U.S. at Laredo. Mayors are concerned that these kinds of visitors will be lost when the WHTI goes into effect requiring passports or another frequent traveler identification card for everyone who crosses the international border. As of writing, Federal agencies plan to apply the passport requirement to all air and sea travel by December 31st, 2006. The requirement will go into effect for land-based border crossers by December 31st, 2007.

Border commercial and residential communities plan to continue to press Congress and provide information on the impact of WHTI. A small change in travel document requirements could have a huge impact on international trade, border city and regional economies. A study done by Texas A & M International University has found that a 1 percent decrease in border crossings would cost Laredo $19 million in annual sales and increase unemployment by 7.2 percent.

Border lawmakers have also expressed concern about the financial impact WHTI would have on border communities, pointing out that. For individuals, a passport costs almost $100, plus an extra $60 if the person wants expedited processing, while passports for a family of four would cost approximately $400.

Flores - "Do Not Add More Congestion To Our Bridges"

"It is imperative that any and all security initiatives serve the needs of the community affected and commerce," Flores said. Asking that the WHTI not be a financial burden on citizens or detrimental to international trade and border commerce she urged that additional Customs and Border Protection manpower be put in place to implement the new regulation "so that we do not add more congestion to our bridges." Flores said a proposed State Department crossing card will be a most cost-effective way of meeting the security requirements of the travel initiative, noting "we believe that this card should be a universal card used for everyone that crosses the southern or northern border." US-Mexico and US-Canada border city economies depend heavily on the legal flow of commerce and visitors between Northern Mexico and the border cities.

Border business groups report that cross-border visitors are reducing the frequency of their travel due to the amount of time cross border travel now involves, with even greater potential for the new travel initiative to further hurt cross border tourism and regional economies. A reduction in trips means a blow to the local, state and national economies of the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The Federation of Canadian Mayors has also expressed concern regarding the impact and implementation process of the WHTI.