Puerto Peñasco Post

DHS issues final rule on WHTI

The Department of Homeland Security issued its final rule on WHTI yesterday.   It can be read in its entirety here [pdf}.  I will read through it and provide a more thorough analysis after the weekend. 

The thing that immediately jumped out at me from the press release is that they will be accepting "enhanced drivers licenses" in lieu of passports or passport cards at the U.S. border.  Arizona is working on a program to provide these enhanced drivers licenses.  The final rule will be effective June 1, 2009.  Senator Leahy (D-VT) has a mixed reaction to it.

Check back for more from me this coming week.  In the meantime, keep bringing your passports or drivers licenses and birth certificates to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point).  Rocky Point is Puerto Penasco.

U.S. Senators in Opposition to New Border Crossing Identification Rules

I have been following some of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering in Washington regarding the implementation of the new identification requirements this week for crossing the border.  Nineteen U.S. Senators (8 Democrats, 10 Republicans and 1 independent) have sent this letter to DHS Secretary Chertoff urging him to hold off on implementing the January 31st photo I.D./birth certificate requirement - effectively calling it a pointless intermediate measure in the stepped-up identification requirements that will eventually be implemented in June 2009.   

In December, Congress delayed the land border crossing portion of WHTI until June 2009 in order to give DHS/CBP the time and resources to be adequately prepared for an effective and smooth implementation of the stepped-up passport/passport card requirements (which most agree are necessary).  DHS decided to implement this intermediate birth certificate step anyway, even though it really accomplishes nothing towards increased border security.

The Senators in their letter rightly point out that U.S. birth certificates are issued by many different entities and therefore come in thousands of different forms and will be impossible to verify as legitimate - thus causing a major administrative issue for CBP officers trying to figure out whether a birth certificate is real or forged.  For instance, my birth certificate was issued from Bureau County, Illinois written on an old scrap of paper by typewriter and signed by someone named Tom Velon (try verifying that!).  If the real concern is making sure crossers are U.S. citizens, providing an easily-forged birth certificate surely isn't going to accomplish this.

As the Senators also point out, the birth certificate requirement will only compound the slow border crossings already being experienced at most U.S. border crossings - thus impeding commerce and restricting legal crossings by U.S. citizens (again, while accomplishing nothing towards border security).  The Lukeville border crossing is slated for expansion but is not currently well-equipped to handle the additional tourists now coming to Puerto Peñasco (even before this new requirement takes place). 

From what I have been told, these congressional efforts to convince Secretary Chertoff to eliminate the birth certificate requirements are unlikely to be successful.  So I want to again encourage everyone coming to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) to go ahead and apply for their passports or the new passport cards now - even though they aren't officially required until June 2009.  It is a pretty simply process, will save you a lot of headache over the next year when crossing the border and will speed up the crossing for everyone.

While you are waiting for your passport or passport card, make sure to have your government issued photo I.D. (driver's license) and proof of citizenship (birth certificate) available starting this Friday, February 1 and thereafter.  Not having the proper identification will impair your ability to cross and will slow down crossings for everyone else.  I have written about ways to obtain your passport or birth certificate here.   I will keep readers updated on any progress on delaying or eliminating the birth certificate requirement (but don't hold your breath). 

Reminder: Border Crossing Identification Changes Beginning January 31, 2008

As I wrote a couple of months ago, on January 31, 2008, border crossing identification requirements will change for Americans crossing back into the United States from Mexico.  As outlined in this article in the Arizona Republic, as of January 31, vacationers to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) will need to produce both a government issued photo identification (such as a driver's license) and proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) in order to cross back into the U.S. from Mexico.  Children 18 and younger only need to produce proof of citizenship.  Of course, a passport will suffice in place of both forms of identification.

I have read in several articles that people attempting to cross without the proper identification will automatically be subjected to a secondary inspection in which border crossing guards will attempt to ascertain your citizenship (so brush up on your pledge of allegiance and try to learn all four verses of the Star Spangled Banner).  In all seriousness though, not coming to the border prepared will again cause major back-ups at the border.  So please make sure everyone in your car has all their identification for the sake of the other crossers waiting behind you.

Applications for the new wallet-sized passport cards, which can be used instead of a passport only for land border crossings, will start being accepted on February 1, 2008.  For more information on obtaining a passport card, click here, here and here.  For information on obtaining a passport, click here.  And for information on obtaining a certified copy of your birth certificate, click here.

A reminder that all passengers flying from Puerto Peñasco to Los Angeles will need a passport (no other forms of identification - including a passport card - are acceptable).

Passport Requirements Delayed until June 2009

Language was included in the Omnibus Spending Bill passed by the U.S. Congress this week that delays passport identification requirements for U.S. land border crossings until June 1, 2009 at the earliest.  This means that U.S. citizens vacationing in Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) will not need to provide passports until June 2009 when crossing back into Arizona at the Lukeville border crossing. 

However, enhanced identification requirements requiring government issued identification (like a drivers license) and proof of citizenship (like a birth certificate) to cross back into the U.S. will still go into effect on January 31, 2008.  For more information about these requirements, read here.  To help educate border crossers, Customs & Border Patrol is now passing out flyers at the Lukeville border when re-entering the U.S. that outline these requirements.

The language passed by Congress also requires DHS to make significant progress in testing and preparation for implementation of the WHTI identification requirements before Congress will approve funds for this implementation.  This includes considering alternative identification requirements to passports such as passcards and enhanced drivers licenses.  Several states (including Arizona) have already agreed to pilot programs testing enhanced drivers licenses that are expected to contain citizenship information that can be read using radio frequency instead of being swiped (thus speeding up border crossings).  Enhanced drivers licenses will cost less than a passport and should be easier to implement using motor vehicle department resources already in place.

So for now, bring your drivers license and birth certificate when coming to Puerto Peñasco (or use your passport if you have one).  Note that children 18 and under will only need a birth certificate (no ID required).  Also note that those flying from Puerto Peñasco to the U.S. are required to have a passport.

Birth Certificates to be Required for Lukeville Border Crossing (Passport Update)

The Department of Homeland Security issued a press release today reminding U.S. citizens crossing the border by land back into the U.S. that crossing rules are changing under WHTI as of January 31, 2008.  Border crossing guards will no longer rely on oral representation of citizenship and will instead require both a government issued photo I.D. (such as a drivers license) and proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate).  If you already have a passport, it will obviously meet both of these requirements.

So for those of you planning trips to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) after January 31, 2008 who do not yet have a passport, you will no longer be able to cross back into the U.S. with only a drivers license.  There is an exception for U.S. citizens 18 and younger - only proof of U.S. citizenship (a birth certificate) is required.  So start digging out those birth certificates or contact your state of birth's vital statistics office (click here) to get a certified copy.  Even better, get a passport (click here) and you can quit reading all these updates.

DHS and DOS have not yet determined when implementation of the passport requirements for land crossings will occur.  The DHS Appropriations Bill for 2008 that is currently in conference (click here for full text; see Section 530) contains a provision sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) that mandates a delay in implementation of passport requirements (or alternative identification measures) for land crossings until at least June 1, 2009.  While this provision is not supported by the current administration, my sources who work on Capitol Hill indicate that it will most likely pass as part of the DHS appropriations bill due to bipartisan support in Congress.  If that happens, the passport requirement that everyone has been talking about will not take effect until at least June 2009.  I will work to keep everyone updated on the bill's progress.

Full press release from DHS can be found here.   

Lukeville Border Crossing Expansion Announced for Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point)

Big news coming out of the Arizona-Mexico Commission Fall Plenary Session taking place this weekend in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora.  Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano announced that the Arizona Department of Transportation has agreed to partially fund expansion of the border crossing in Lukeville, AZ to help handle the vacation traffic traveling from Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) back home to Arizona on weekends. ADOT will help fund two additional processing lanes, bringing the total to six lanes (including one commercial lane). Funding will be contingent on additional private money being raised from Puerto Peñasco developers and businesses, which is expected to be secured.

To read more, click below...

Short Term Lukeville Border Relief

Thanks to Brian at Puerto-Penasco.com and Terry who runs Playa-Encanto.com for alerting me to this article in the AZ Star today about a change in the processing at the Lukeville border crossing.

On Sundays and Mondays, when they reach the border, recreational vehicles and vehicles with trailers will be directed into the commercial vehicle processing lane (a lane that goes to the far right around the back of the CBP operations).  This will effectively add a lane to process the vehicles that often take the longest time in line.  It sounds like Mexican officials are going to try to direct these vehicles into the right lane when they initial get in line and hopefully keep two lanes of traffic on the Mexican side moving all the way to the border (instead of making these lanes merge into one like they did last Sunday due to the street vendors).  So if you are driving a recreational vehicle or pulling a trailer, don't expect to skip the entire line.  Get in line in the right lane and be prepared to be directed into the commercial lane when you get to the border.

It's good news that U.S. Customs is showing some flexibility and recognition of the problem since I know nerves get frayed while waiting in line and by the time crossers get to the border, they often feel that CBP isn't doing anything.  They are and I have proposed several other ideas, both short and long term, here.  This change isn't a solution but it will help wait times some.

More on the Lukeville Border Crossing from Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point)

As I mentioned in my earlier post about the Lukeville border crossing, I wrote a column that was originally going to be included in the Peñasco Bulletin this past week, giving weekend visitors to Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) more information about the border crossing, what is being done and what can be done.  This bulletin is passed out every week on Fridays to visitors arriving in Puerto Peñasco. The editors made the decision to keep the Peñasco Bulletin more focused on weekend activities and to potentially include my column in the upcoming issue of the AZ Tourist News.

Since the border crossing is such a timely issue and I want readers on here to have an opportunity to comment on the column, I am printing it in advance on my blog.  The column contains some of the same points I made in a blog post several weeks ago that can be read here. 

I think there is a little bit of fear within the real estate and tourism community in Puerto Peñasco to discuss the border issue for fear of driving visitors away (possibly the reason the column did not make it in the Bulletin).  However, during the high season, the border crossing slowdown coming back into the U.S. has become so bogged down, that I believe everyone needs to know about it in advance so they can plan their trip accordingly and take action to help change the situation.  It isn't a problem that can be ignored, hidden or swept under the rug because virtually every weekend visitors will be affected by it.  And I would rather visitors coming down these days not end up having a great weekend spoiled by being surprised by a 3.5 hour wait on Sunday afternoon.

The column is after the jump, so click below to continue reading my thoughts on the border situation...

Being Prepared at the Lukeville Border Crossing

There is an article today on the New York Times' website documenting another reason the Lukeville border crossing wait times have increased so dramatically over the last year (click here for the full article).  Not only has Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) experienced an increase in visitors, but the border agents have also been taking much more time to process each car that crosses the border.  I have been traveling nearly every week between Phoenix and Puerto Peñasco over the last 2 1/2 years and have experienced this change.  When I first started traveling several years ago, we would just give verbal confirmation that we were American citizens and not bringing in any contraband and we would get waved through.  Now CBP officials always check IDs and type in our information as we cross.  The extra 30 seconds or so to process each car quickly adds up on a very busy Sunday afternoon.

It seems that the Department of Homeland Security is intent on implementing this type of processing to create a national database of information on all people who are crossing and the purpose of their trip (ostensibly to increase security).  So at this point, there isn't much crossers can do but be prepared when they reach the processing station.  Crossers should have identification and any other documentation they need to cross already out.  I have been told that providing a passport will speed the process sinced the passport can quickly be swiped (while drivers licenses cannot and information has to be manually entered).  So if you have a passport, hand it over right away.  Crossers should also not be carrying any fruits, vegetables or meats back across the border (even if you originally bought them in the U.S.), as the time it will take a border agent to dispose of these items will further slow down the crossing time.  These minor steps should help the process some.

For more information on customs and what you should expect at border crossings, check out Puerto-Penasco.com's page on customs. 

A note that the NY Times article incorrectly states that passports will be required on January 31, 2008.  So far DHS has only indicated that on that date, the only change will be that border agents will have to ask for some form of ID (a U.S. drivers license or birth certificate are expected to still suffice) instead of relying on oral representation of citizenship.  Passports or some alternative ID are expected to be required sometime in summer of 2008.  See my previous posts on passports and border crossing here.

My next post will be a short article I submitted to the AZ Tourist News for publication about what crossers can do to further help the situation.

Border Crossing Update & Proposed Solutions

For those weekend warriors wondering what is being done about the increasingly long wait times at the Lukeville border on the way back into the U.S. from Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), our friends over at puerto-penasco.com and Defrente have done some investigative reporting on the situation. From their reporting, it appears that state and federal officials are aware of the situation and are working to rectify it as quickly as possible. For the full article, click here.

I have more thoughts on the situation after the jump, so click below to read on…

Passport Update (Arizona Secure ID)

In doing research for the post I am writing about the border crossing situation, I stumbled upon the late August news release about Arizona's pilot program to develop a WHTI/Real ID compliant driver's license for Arizona residents (much like the Washington state pilot program announced earlier this year).   The program looks like it still needs to be approved by the Arizona state legislature, but will hopefully be implemented. 

However, it remains to be seen whether the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State will allow these types of ID's to be used instead of passports for land border crossings from Mexico into the U.S.  While getting an Arizona driver's license with additional security information on it will cost a bit more than a regular driver's license, it should be a quicker process (and more familiar to Arizona residents).  If DHS and DOS allow these driver's licenses with additional security information on them to be used instead of passports for border crossings, travelers will have an easier option than getting a passport.  The full press release can be read here and you can read a more detailed discussion about the pending passport/ID requirements here.   However, I still encourage everyone to get their passports.

Passport Requirements Clarified

Current Requirements
There is a lot of confusion among travelers to Puerto Peñasco (and some locals) about what is going on with the passport requirements for Americans traveling back into the U.S. The short answer is that for now, U.S. citizens driving to Puerto Peñasco do not need a passport to get back into the U.S. A valid U.S. state-issued driver’s license or birth certificate will suffice. The latest date that additional identification requirements will be implemented is June 1, 2009.  Some news outlets citing this 2009 date have failed to mention that it is possible this date will be much earlier (as early as summer 2008). I explain the potential requirements and dates in more detail later in this post. So for those of you coming down for the Peacemakers concert on October 20th or the Rocky Point Rally in November, no worries.  [Editorial Note: Get your passports anyway. It is inexpensive and Americans should all get one and travel more.]

However, U.S. citizens flying to Puerto Peñasco do need a passport to get back into the U.S. (including children). A lot of confusion was created when the initial press release about the air travel requirements was picked up by the media and they did not clarify this big difference between air travel and land travel requirements.

For more information about the requirements, I looked up the proposed rule in the Federal Register from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) issued June 26, 2007 and it provides some clarification.