No significant delays reported as new ID rules begin at U.S.-Canada border

David Runk, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT - Tougher identification rules went into effect Thursday along U.S. borders, but there appeared to be little added delay as travellers unprepared for the change were in many cases allowed to cross with a warning.

Rather than seeing a bottleneck over the Ambassador Bridge into Detroit, truck driver Paul Kraus said, "It's actually slow today." The 42-year-old regularly crosses the bridge from Windsor, Ont., and said he always carries the required documents.

U.S. and Canadian citizens entering the country are no longer allowed to simply declare to immigration officers at border crossings that they are citizens. Instead, those 19 and older must show proof of citizenship, such as a passport or a "trusted traveller" card issued to frequent border crossers. Driver's licences must be accompanied by proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

Orville McFarlane of San Diego had just his driver's licence as he returned from a sports betting parlour in Tijuana, Mexico, but was still allowed past San Diego's main border crossing.

"I was taken aback a little bit" about being asked for a birth certificate, the 36-year-old pharmacy technician said. "I said I didn't have it. He gave me a reminder slip."

Customs officials said delays were minimal across the country and that most motorists had the documentation they needed.

"It's been a very smooth transition," said Assistant Commissioner Thomas Winkowski, of the Washington-based Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection. "There have been no issues with wait times."

He said compliance statistics were expected Friday detailing how many people arrived at the border with proper documentation.

Officers at the ports had latitude to admit people who are unaware of the changes once their identities were confirmed, and many points were offering a grace period and handing out flyers explaining the changes.

On the U.S. side of the border in Progreso, Texas, those returning from a trip to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, across the Rio Grande carried bags of prescription drugs, cigarettes, liquor and crafts. Bobby and Genice Bogard of Greers Ferry, Ark., crossed so Genice could get a tooth capped.

The Bogards, who winter in Mission, Texas, knew the requirements were coming but thought they took effect in June. So even though they have U.S. passports, they had left them at home.

"He allowed us to pass with a driver's licence," Bobby Bogard said of a border agent.

"But next time he said he wouldn't," added Genice Bogard.

Others were ready for the new rules, or say they've grown accustomed to carrying citizenship documents since security tightened following the Sept. 11 attacks. At the Peace Bridge, officials said most travellers entering Buffalo, N.Y., from Fort Erie, Ont., had proper documentation.

"I always come across with my passport," said Fred Goetz of Burlington, Ont.

Smooth travel was reported at many crossings along the northern and southern borders.

The rules eventually will get even tougher for U.S. citizens entering the country from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean because of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which Congress approved in 2004.

The driver's licence-birth certificate combination will not be allowed when the law is fully implemented, but that has been delayed at land and sea crossings until June 2009.

Mexican citizens will continue to have to present valid passports and visas. Canadian citizens previously were not required to show a passport but will need one after next year.

Critics, particularly in northern border states, have assailed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff over the changes. Some businesses and legislators worry that the new rules - and the costs of getting a passport - would discourage some people from making the trip.

"We are right on the border and 50 per cent of our guests are Canadian, so it's an enormous part of our business," said Bill Stenger, president of Jay Peak ski resort in Jay, Vt.

© The Canadian Press, 2008