Submitted by: Gary Logan(31) Log in to become a member of Gary Logan's Fan Club!
An Alternative
To the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA)
For US Citizens Using the Mexican and Canadian Land Border Crossings
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) that requires each US citizens to obtain (pay $97 plus—as much as $180) a passport to return to the United States from Mexico or Canada creates an unwarranted hardship on the uninsured and poorer citizens of the USA. Many of the travelers to Mexico and Canada are simply trying to get the medical, dental, pharmaceutical care or a cheap diversion from their underprivileged circumstances in the US .
Since neither Mexico nor Canada requires a passport or visa to visit their countries, it makes little sense to require US citizens present a passport to return to their own country. The Home Land Security Department says it is too hard to verify a US citizen with their driver’s license or other identification documents. A simple US Temporary Travel Visa (USTTV) could pre approve a traveler for a specific border and time period (14 to 90 days) for a nominal $10 fee through a private agency.
The pre-approval could easily include verifying that the person has a valid State , US Government picture or other approved ID and that they are in the United States at the time they obtain their USTTV. The USTTV would be a plastic card with their current picture, (with perhaps a fingerprint) and have a metallic strip encrypted with their ID information, date obtained, and expiration date. The data would be downloaded, in real time, to the Home Land Security computers for the Border Patrol’s accessibility through the existing scanners that they use for Mexican’s Visas.
The only change to the laws, regulations, and procedures would be the elimination of the IRTPA mandatory passport for people returning from Mexico and Canada . Entry through a border crossing would be treated the same as a person presenting a US passport. The worse case scenario, a person’s status in the US would remain the same—Status Quo!
Homeland Security reports the number of passengers and pedestrians at around 300 million. Although I have not been able to find any statistics about the nationalities crossing the borders; personal observations put it at about 30% or 100 million US Citizens. The time involved processing a USTTV would the same or less than processing a person with a Mexican Visa.
I have researched the costs, for equipment (photography, computers, printers and encrypting machines) labor, software, cards, other supplies and overhead, and it can be done for $10 per card. I also believe that it can be efficiently and effectively ready for testing by December 2007 and implementation by January 1, 2008 .
This simple, no cost to the government, alternative to the IRTPA, is actually profitable to the government in that is reduces the burden of some of the health, dental and pharmacitical costs. Please send your thoughts to your government represenatives.
I do have a vested interest, I provide a free, no pop-up or advertising Directory of Mexican Doctors and Dentists to help the less fortunate find medical and dental care at a 40 to 60% Savings. The link is: http://www.mexicandoctorsdir.com/.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is
provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice
provided to you by any health care or other professional or
organization.
