Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), co-chair of the Washington state’s 2010 Olympics Task Force, released a statement in response to the State Department and Department of Homeland Security’s announcement today of a new “Joint Vision” for dealing with U.S. border security that will further complicate the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

The vision includes several comprehensive changes affecting our border security. One of those changes included adding a biometric passport card as an alternative to the traditional U.S. passport for use by U.S. citizens in border communities who frequently cross our land borders. The card, which will be issued starting in late 2006, will meet the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative standards. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative requires that anyone applying for admission to the U.S., including U.S. citizens, or those traveling from Canada or Mexico, must present secure travel documents that denote citizenship and serve as proof of identity.

“My goal as a member of the Northern Border Caucus in Congress and as a representative of a congressional district along the Northern Border is to ensure a safer and more secure Northern Border that also facilitates the free flow of travel and commerce.

“Today’s proposed State Department and Department of Homeland Security ‘Joint Vision’ raises more questions than it answers about how we deal with cross-border travel and trade in a post-9/11 world.

“I am specifically concerned with how this vision would further complicate implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.  Adding a biometric passport card to the current approved documents list may address some of our border security needs, but it will create a tremendous burden on the cross-border tourism industry. It will erect enormous roadblocks for cross-border travel surrounding the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

“Unless there is a way to cheaply and instantly outfit Olympics tourists with the necessary documentation, Washington state will face a logistical nightmare and will lose many of the economic benefits it hopes to gain from the Winter Games.

“As a co-chair of the Governor’s 2010 Olympics Task Force, I have repeatedly pressed the Departments of Homeland Security and State to look for additional forms of documentation more accessible and affordable than a U.S. passport. I have also called on them to maintain and grow their support for successful programs like NEXUS that so many of my constituents use.

“Even with this newly-announced joint vision, the administration absolutely must provide more document options, more implementation time, and more details on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. As it stands now, there are far too many questions and far too little time in which to get them answered.”

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