Believe In America.com

butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2271

If you're planning to fly to Mexico or Canada after Jan. 22, now would be a good time to submit passport applications to your local post office.

On Jan. 23, new security requirements will mean Americans no longer will be able to re-enter the country with only a driver's license and birth certificate.

The special relationship between the United States and its two North American neighbors is being phased out under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, first for U.S. citizens returning to their home country by air and then for all borders in a year or so.

Approximately 72 million of America's 300 million residents have U.S. passports, according to State Department figures, making the United States one of the few developed nations where a small minority bothers to apply for the internationally recognized travel identification.

But with the new rules, would-be travelers have been thronging Bay Area post offices to apply for passports in recent months, said Gus Ruiz, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service's Bay-Valley District.

continued:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16365451.htm

Andy51 · Joined: 05 Jul 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Washington state

Kind of ironic, american citizens need a passport to get back into "our" country, but illegals, and terrorists, come here by the millions from our southern border, stay for years, and never get deported. Gotta love how stupid that is.

This is just a way for the Bush gang to make more money so they can juggle the numbers so the deficet doesn't look as bad as it really is!

Take care.

Andy