Chertoff Tells Critics Of New Border Crossing Rules To ‘Grow Up’

WASHINGTON (AP) – Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says new border crossing rules will mean longer lines for those entering the United States, starting this month.

But in an interview with The Associated Press, he says it’s necessary to prevent another September 11th-style attack. He added that critics of the effort need to, in his words, “grow up.”

Starting February 1st, a drivers license and oral declaration of citizenship will no longer be enough to enter the United States. People will have to present proof of citizenship, usually in the form of a passport or a birth certificate.

Chertoff says that without the rule change, the country risks another Nine-11-type terrorist attack. The secretary acknowledged his agency will have to push back a deadline for requiring passports at the borders, rather than birth certificates.

Chertoff has already delayed the rule once, but Congress recently passed legislation delaying the passport requirement until June 2009. To cross the U.S.-Canadian border, a driver’s license alone won’t cut it anymore.

Starting Jan. 31, you will need to have a passport or similarly secure document, or a combination of two other documents. Single document option:

U.S. or Canadian passport. U.S. passcard (these won’t be available until spring). So-called “trusted traveler card,” which includes NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST cards (These are typically used only by people who cross the border frequently, often for work). State or province issued “enhanced” driver’s license (states are only beginning to produce these, so they are not available in most places). U.S. military ID with travel orders. U.S. merchant mariner document. Native American Tribal Photo ID card. Form I-872 American Indian Card. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Card.

If you don’t have a passport or one of these other IDs, there is a two-document option, the most likely combination being a driver’s license and a birth certificate. Border crossers can present a driver’s license or ID card, or a U.S. or Canadian ID card, along with one of the following:

Birth certificate. U.S. Consular report of birth abroad. U.S. Certificate of Naturalization. U.S. Certificate of Citizenship. U.S. Citizen Identification Card. Canadian citizenship card. Canadian certificate of citizenship without photo.

18 and under: U.S. and Canadian citizens 18 and younger need a birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, or municipal authority.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)