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As all Mainers know, Maine shares much of its
northern and eastern border with Canada. The
border, although separated by ports of entry, is a
common land joined by families, communities, and
consumers. Thousands of families in Maine are
comprised of both U.S. citizens and legally
documented Canadian citizens, and traveling across
the border to visit is a way of life for many of
them. These visits are made for many reasons
including Sunday dinners with grandparents, church
services, weddings, funerals, and medical
emergencies.
Last April, the State Department announced that
Americans would need passports to re-enter the
United States from Canada, Mexico, Panama and
Bermuda by 2008, and that Canadians would also have
to present a passport to enter the United States.
Many of my constituents and I voiced concerns about
implementation of these new passport requirements
for Canadian travel. For countless Mainers, this
would cause a heavy burden on necessary daily
activities because such rules would not be conducive
to maintaining relationships that are a significant
part of the culture of northern and eastern Maine.
Some of my concerns also included: the prohibitive
costs for families to purchase passports since they
cost about $100 each, the complications of obtaining
passports for children under the age of 14 who
require both parents to sign passport applications,
and the emergency situations that will inevitably
arise. I made these concerns known in a letter to
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner
Robert C. Bonner soon after this decision was
announced.
Many of the concerns I voiced in the letter were
assuaged when, this January, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff also announced that the two
departments will develop an inexpensive, secure,
biometric passport card as an alternative to a
traditional passport for use by U.S. citizens in
border communities. The card will begin being
issued late this year, and the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department
will ultimately offer a program so that travelers
can benefit from trusted or expedited traveler
programs at all U.S. ports of entry.
In a letter, State Department officials
assured me that they are “committed to a
transparent, effective program that is both
sensitive to the needs of U.S. citizens and
responsive to the requirements of the law.” With
this announcement, I am hopeful that the State
Department and DHS are working toward a reasonable
solution, and I look forward to learning the details
of the new border crossing card as it is developed.
It is imperative that the program that is ultimately
produced does not make travel between the U.S. and
Canada more difficult.
Everyone recognizes the need to prevent terrorists
and criminals from entering this country, but we
must do so without placing an unfair burden on
border communities and their residents. Many Mainers
must travel between the U.S. and Canada for both
personal and economic reasons and making it more
difficult for them to do so would be unfortunate. I
am pleased that the State Department appears
committed to facilitating travel between the two
countries, and I look forward to working with them
and the Department of Homeland Security as they
craft new policies. I am hopeful that the new
regulations will keep us safe while causing the
least disruption possible to our very important
shared connection with Canada.
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