Observations on Efforts to Implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on the U.S. Border with Canada Page: 3 of 23
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To do our work, we interviewed DHS and State officials in Washington, D.C.;
reviewed relevant laws and regulations; and examined documents and reports about
the Travel Initiative and proposals for alternative documents and programs. We also
interviewed DHS and State officials about existing border crossing programs,
reviewed available documentation about these programs, and met with various local
stakeholders in New York and Washington states to discuss their views about the
Travel Initiative. We focused our initial work on the U.S.-Canadian border because
the vast majority of concerns expressed about the Travel Initiative are from
communities and states that border Canada. Our observations are based on the
challenges faced by existing frequent traveler and other border-crossing programs as
well as on our understanding of how the Travel Initiative is likely to be structured.
Our work was conducted between January 2006 and May 2006 in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards. Appendix I discusses our scope
and methodology in more detail.
Results
DHS and State are within 20 months of the January 2008 deadline for implementing
the Travel Initiative, and while the agencies have taken initial steps to carry out the
program, broad and extensive challenges remain. The steps taken and the challenges
that remain fall into five main areas: (1) making a decision about what documents
individuals will need when they enter the United States, (2) resolving technical and
programmatic issues related to PASS cards, (3) proceeding through the rule-making
process, (4) carrying out a cost-benefit study, and (5) managing implementation of
the program. Achieving the intended security benefits of the Travel Initiative by the
statutory milestone date, without simply requiring all travelers to carry a passport,
appears in jeopardy, given the volume of work that remains. Here is a summary of
steps taken and the challenges that remain.
* Documentary requirements: DHS still needs to decide what alternative
documents, if any, will be acceptable in lieu of a passport when U.S. citizens
and citizens of Canada enter or return to the United States-and, in some
cases, what documentation individuals will have to present in order to obtain
them. DHS and State have taken steps to propose or examine an alternative
form of a passport, called a PASS card, or alternatives to a passport, such as
frequent traveler programs and day passes, but final decisions are still in
process. Determining documentary requirements is key to making decisions
on how DHS inspects individuals entering or returning to the United States
from Canada. Also, these decisions are the first steps needed to make progress
toward meeting the mandate.
* Implementing PASS cards: If DHS and State elect to proceed with a PASS card
as an alternative form of a passport for U.S. citizens crossing land borders,
they will still need to make key decisions about it. For example, DHS and StateGAO-06-741 R
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Observations on Efforts to Implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on the U.S. Border with Canada, text, May 25, 2006; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc303202/m1/3/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.