Border traffic moves easily with stricter ID code

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, The Associated Press
11:04 a.m. June 1, 2009

HIDALGO, Texas — Car and pedestrian traffic flowed smoothy through U.S. border crossings Monday, the first day that Americans coming home from Mexico and Canada faced stricter identification requirements, officials and travelers said.

About 10 cars, typical for a morning commute, were backed up on the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge near McAllen, Texas, early on the first day of full compliance with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
But at the normally busy San Diego crossing, traffic was unusually light.
Until now, U.S. citizens could re-enter the country with various types of identification. Now a passport, passport card or special secure driver's license are among a handful of accepted IDs.

Yvonne Rivera, a U.S. citizen who lives in Reynosa, Mexico, and commutes across the border for work in Texas, said she got her passport three months ago because she knew the rule change was coming. The 22-year-old pedestrian breezed through the crossing.
"There was nothing. Everything is all right," Rivera said.

At the busiest passenger crossing along the northern border, the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, N.Y., and Fort Erie, Ontario, traffic flowed smoothly with Customs and Border Protection officers reporting a 95 percent compliance rate with the new ID requirement. The Peace Bridge handled 8.9 million autos and 47,100 commercial buses in 2008.
Marya Grande of Williamsville, N.Y., was returning home with her 4-year-old and 5-month-old sons from Crystal Beach, Ontario, and had "trusted traveler" cards – for people who have undergone special background checks – for herself and one of her sons. The family had misplaced one child's card so Grande had his birth certificate. All entered without a problem.

"I think it's a great idea because as a U.S. citizen I like to know they're taking care of our borders," Grande said.

Leslie Dritsas, of Apache Junction, Ariz., didn't know about the change but had her passport anyway at the Buffalo entry point. She got hers a couple of years ago after having a bad experience entering the U.S. even though she had her driver's license, birth certificate and Social Security card.

"They didn't believe I was an American citizen. It was horrible. This time with the passport, it was much easier, so I'm for it," said Dritsas, whose husband is a Canadian citizen.

Traffic at San Diego's busy San Ysidro border crossing is down about 12 percent from last year, partly due to the weak economy and fears of swine flu, said Oscar Preciado, the port director for the CBP.

About 85 percent of the U.S. citizens filing through the crossing Monday carried a passport or other acceptable travel document, he said. Others were waved through after being handed a sheet of paper that said they were not complying with the new rules.
"It's a nonevent," Preciado said.

The new requirement also did not cause any delays at Highgate Springs, Vermont's largest entry point from Canada. Two lanes were open and there was hardly any wait.

Daphnee Roy, 23, of Montreal, who was driving to Boston with a friend, said after passing through that the crossing was the same as always.
"It's no big deal."

Customs and Border Protection area port director John Makolin said people who don't have the right documents can still enter, but it'll take longer than usual as Customs workers try to verify their identities some other way.

That wasn't Mauro Guerra's experience when the 27-year-old U.S. citizen crossed the border on his way to work at an auto parts store in McAllen, Texas. He said he hadn't had time to get a passport but got through the same way he always has: with a birth certificate and photo ID.
"They didn't say anything," Guerra said.
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Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, N.Y., Wilson Ring in Highgate Springs, Vt., and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

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