NASSAU, The Bahamas – In only its first week in force, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is being fully implemented, and the results have been impressive. The U.S. Department of State, with our colleagues in the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security is very pleased with the smooth implementation of the new passport requirements, which will greatly strengthen border security.
In the first three days under the new rules, the Customs and Border Protection Office in Nassau reported nearly full compliance among American travelers passing through the Pre-Clearance facility.
Of nearly 7000 Americans processed over that time, only 11 people did not have the required travel documents. This represents less than 0.15 percent of travelers from The Bahamas not in full compliance with the new regulations. We can therefore describe the program as a success, with negligible impact on travelers. The American public strongly supports these new rules, as shown by a recent Zogby poll that gives the program a 76% approval rating.
At the outset of WHTI implementation, there is a transition period during which Customs and Border Protection will take a flexible, commonsense approach to ensure that travel is not disrupted and potential hardships to the traveling public are avoided. Customs and Border Protection will provide ample notice to airlines before this transition period is ended and the WHTI documentation requirements are more strictly enforced.
We acknowledge that there may be individual cases of undocumented American citizens returning to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has procedures for handling such cases of undocumented Americans and has communicated these to the airlines.
People who apply for entry but do not have appropriate documentation will likely be referred for secondary screening at the port. In secondary screening, Customs and Border Protection officers will evaluate any evidence of citizenship or identity the individual may have and will verify all information against available databases.
For foreign nationals, a determination will be made at that time whether to admit the individual or not.
The WHTI requirement that all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda present a valid passport when entering the United States at any airport is in full effect as of January 23, 2007.
To prevent delay at the ports of entry, all travelers are encouraged to obtain the appropriate documents before they travel.
