Speech #1090132503

Mr. President. when the Congress passed the intelligence reform bill in 2004. it included measures that were intended to help secure our borders. These provisions. called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. require that any person. including a U.S. citizen. present a passport or its equivalent. when they enter the United States from neighboring countries. including Canada or Mexico. We have long enjoyed lessformal immigration policies with our neighbors. and especially with Canada. These policies encourage tourism and trade and promote goodwill between our nations. The impact of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on Northern Border states could be extremely harmful.