On Thursday, June 8, 2006, the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Claims held an oversight hearing on the need for implementing the 9/11 Commission's call to increase security for travel in the Western Hemisphere. The 9/11 Commission Report states, "Americans should not be exempt from carrying biometric passports or otherwise enabling their identities to be securely verified when they enter the United States; nor should Canadians or Mexicans. . . . The current system enables non-U.S. citizens to gain entry by showing minimal identification. The 9/11 experience shows that terrorists study and exploit America's vulnerabilities." [page 388]
The hearing examined the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act requirement for better document security standards for travel within the Western Hemisphere by eliminating the so-called "Western Hemisphere Exemption" that currently allows travel to and from the U.S. within the Western Hemisphere without needing a passport. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will require all travelers within the Western Hemisphere to have a passport or another accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the U.S. Currently U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America are able to enter the U.S. by providing proof of nationality, such as a birth certificate, and a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. DHS has a January 2008 deadline to implement the WHTI.
DON'T LET THE SPECIAL INTEREST THAT CONTROLS THE GOVERNMENT, CONTROL OUR COUNTRY.
THEY ARE TRYING TO ERASE OUR BORDERS AND OUR CONTRY!
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(DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE IT COMES FROM WASHINGTON)
House Passes Immigration Related Amendments to the DHS Appropriations Bill
Last week, the House passed the fiscal year 2007 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security. As the bill was debated on the House Floor, several Members offered immigration related amendments to the bill. A list of the adopted amendments follows:
- Stupak - Increases funding (by offset) for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement by $5 million.
- King (IA) - Increases funding (by offset) for Immigration and Customs Enforcement by $2 million.
- Marshall - Increases funding (by offset) for the employment verification program under USCIS by $20 million.
- King (IA) - Prevents state and local governments who refuse to share information with federal immigration authorities by adopting "sanctuary policies" from obtaining federal funds under this act.
- Kingston - Prohibits the department from using funds in the bill to provide a foreign government with information relating to the operations or location of the Minutemen or other private border patrol groups along the U.S.-Mexican border in California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas, unless the information sharing is required by an international treaty.
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