Just the facts ...about la lina...

[Brittany]

Poohce, good idea, the US Citizens should stock up on birth certificates, now why didnt others think about that ! But coming to the previous reply, it was about guys who are not U.S. citizens yet, and their birth certificates could be anywhere from Tasmania to Timbuktoo

 

[yogazen]

Haven't you dudes heard of the Bureau of Vital Statistics . Birth certificates are cheap, you can purchase more than one(order a half dozen) and you can keep one in your wallet. Arrest in SD for mongering, is for the terminally lazy. TJ is a half hour away, invest in birh certicates.

Piece Out!

 

[juli]

I think Green Card (Resident Alien) card should be acceptable proof just like it is now, The GC holder will not have a U.S. passport anyway until he is eligible and obtains citizenship. From various articles I havent seen anything that requires a GC holder to have additonal documents, I see it being accepted all the time at the Immigration, since it has a picture ID additional proof is not required. But you may want to cross check with Immigration/border before leaving to make sure. Or there might be info on the homeland security website, need to check

 

[M.Shadows fan]

Come Jan 31, 2008, if you are not a US citizen but a permanent resident (greencard) how does the new rule affect you? D/L and greencard required to return? I have a friend who wants to visit TJ in Feb that is not a US citizen...

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hey that's great news this way I don't have to get my passport all dirty and beat up taking it to TJ every time till at least to 2009, and maybe longer?

Yes I'm in agreement over those birth certificates too. Sometimes I just get a feeling of running down to TJ as I"m only about one hour away from where I work, and really don't want to go back home and get my birth certificate either, nor do I want to keep it in the car.

Will see if Leahy can talk some sense into DHS Chertoff and get him to abandon the requirement of the Birth Certificate. I wonder what's going to happen to those passcards a few people on this site and other keep talking about like they are set it stone? I just can't see them being popular with people, because if your going to have to fill out applications and pay $50 dollars, you might as well get a passport for about $100 dollars.


But for now in case anyone asks, and you know they will. NO CHANGES TILL AT LEAST JANUARY 31 2008, AND THAT CHANGE IS THE 'BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND DRIVER LICENSE, OR A PASSPORT, BUT THE PASSPORT ISN'T MANDATORY UNTIL NOW THE SUMMER OF 2009. So if you want to party new years eve in Tijuana, and stay a few days a drivers license is all you need till the end of January.

 

[Hitpig #1]

Bush signed it yesterday. It was part of the Omnibus Spending Bill [the federal government's budget]. Bush's only signing statement/comment had to do with there being too much pork in the budget -- although he signed it anyway.

The legislation does not address the birth certificate requirement starting on 1/31/08. Leahy did send a letter to DHS Commandant Chertoff asking WTF he thinks he's doing with the birth certificate requirement as it is not part of the original WHTI legislation and thus DHS is acting outside of Congress' mandate. It being a pretty slow week in DC, it remains to be seen if Chertoff will delay the birth certificate requirement, or will stay with it until it is addressed directly by Congress.

I still maintain DHS has not thought the birth certificate requirement through and its impact to the lines with the border with Mexico and Canada. The economic impact of longer lines will cost the US cities on the border millions if not billions if Mexicans/Canadians decide they'll shop at home and pay a little more rather than have to stand in line all day.

 

[rosieraddy]

THE BILL IS ON " W's " DESK...

 

[la la la]

I believe the 5th paragraph of Supergato's linked article did comment on this and said the that change was still coming in less than 40 days (however personally, I expect it too will be delayed).

Here's that 5th paragraph:

Despite the one-year delay, the Department of Homeland Security says it plans to require most people from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to present a birth certificate or some other document establishing their citizenship when they enter the United States on or after January 31, 2008.

 

[mandi nic]

It is too soon to tell. Bush hasn't signed the budget bill with the extension in it. I doubt he'd veto it just over the passport thing. I believe everything else in the bill budget-wise gives Bush everything he wants on a silver platter. The bill says nothing about the birth certificate thing though. I also think Chertoff will move forward with the birth certificate thing until specifically stopped by Congress. We still have to take our shoes off at the airport and put put our liquids in ziplock bags even though most experts agree that does zero in protection. Or as I suspect it is such an incredible failure and is "suspended" like they did with passports for air travel to Mex/Can last year after that cockup. Except the birth certificate thing won't come back. By failure, I mean lines to return to the US stretching all the way to Rosarito. The stores on in SoCal that usually are full of Mexican shoppers who decide to stay home meaning the stores lose money and the state loses sales tax revenue.

I know in Texas and some states bordering Canada, even the hardcore Republicans think the Chertoff plan is stupid. As the border zone in the north and south get billions from Mexicans and Canadians coming to shop for the day, having the lines will make it more likely people will stay home and the US loses revenue.

 

[oneclickwonder]

Thanks a lot for the information Supergato. I was making the bet that it was going to be delayed, and I'm almost sure now if the Democrats take the White House in 2008 the passport requirement would be delayed indefintely?

I thank Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and he is right with his objections, and Michael Chertoff is a joke. I would not believe anything he says.

What the article didn't say was if the birth certificate requirement is going to go ahead and be required this Jan 31 2008? Leahy was also critical of the birth-certificate requirement, but the article didn't say anything about that be delayed?

 

[twinkiesue]

Oh, this just in: Congress delays passport until 2009.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/12/21/passport.rules/

However Skeletor is not happy about it:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5395873.html

And he admits, "It is impossible to expect our border inspectors to be able to verify that all of these different kinds of ID are genuine." So my question is then why are they doing it starting next month? Remember this when you're standing in line longer than you should while the "security theater" is taking place. It is stopping zero illegal immigrants and zero evildoer terrorists. It is the dumbest thing since the ziplock back requirement at the airport.

DHS has had FIVE YEARS to get a border card alternative or passport requirement in place.

 

[Annihil88torr]

Yes. The last two trips to TJ and the last few times in Nuevo Laredo, they've swiped my passport and after the beep they've let me go on my way. Half the time at either border, I just show the passport and they don't even look in it and let me pass. Sometimes it takes several seconds for that beep. You'll be in the DHS database so they can start connecting dots that might not be there. And the last time I was at the customs/immigration at DFW after coming back from Costa Rica, the agent said something about being in Mexico "a few times" before letting me pass. I liked the good old days when they'd just look at your passport and say "welcome home". So yeah, you're in the computer. The best part is they are only going to keep that information for 50 years and the government has a perfect track record of not making mistakes or losing your data.

 

[theologynut]

when they start swiping your passport ( like they do sometimes you DL) they will then have a record of your trips- right?

 

[littleash]

I saw they were passing out a flyer but they didn't give one to me. The information isn't hard to find, it's on the internet and it says starting on Jan 31, you will need a drivers license and at least a birth certificate to get back into the states.

They also say 'sometime' in the summer of 2008 they will start requiring a passport. It makes people like me to question if they actually will start demanding passports, because they don't have a certain date? I also saw on the internet a Congresswomen wanting to delay it until at least until the summer and the heavy tourist season is over.

So check that flyer again and see if it says this coming June or sometime in the summer they will start demanding a passport, as it could be new information different from the website, or you might have mistaken what it said?

 

[timdvrs]

As i cross every day, the truth at and about the line concerning dates is about as difficult as finding la verdad in TJ... Today the agent gave me the piece of paper that will be handed out, and it states that on Jan 31,2007 we will have to have a drivers license and a passport or birth certificate for proof of citizenship.. Not Jan 1, or 23rd. Then sometime in June of this year it will be a requirement for a passport or like ID and repeated violations at that time will carry fines. DAMN!

 

[Nekhtet]

How much did Zappata charge you to take you to NLBT from Laredo, and then out to the Airport?[/QUOTE] HE WOULDNT B A HONOR TO HIS NAME SAKE IF HE WASNT A 'BANDITO' !!! I was at Motel 6 on the far side of town so all the way to BT was like $30 but since I was alone- It is worth it to me to skip the frontier jive. Since he is dependable and knows the turf well I would use him again- "good people" NL is not the place to cut corners in transportation costs. imho.
Sorry to hear about the decline of BT...I was blownawayby the Street Girls an their cute lil cabin and warming themself with bukets of coal !!! Dam pretty * imho more of a"mexican hillbilly" type babes-haha LOVE IT !!! pura vida... :

 

[PeAceOuT]

Like I always say. When they start demanding passports I'll have mind ready, but I'm sure the businesses on both sides of the border will sure bitch the US government to rescind the passport order if not I could see Mexico trying to retaliate by stopping every car trying to get into Mexico for a few days? Demand passports or birth certificates could really hurt business, even the bars in the zona, and like I said on another forum it's really going to hurt the married mongers trying to sneak those things out of the house.

But it sure look like the are going forward to the JAN 31 2008 order and demand at least birth certificates and a drivers license from everyone from the way they were acting on the border yesterday. I came home at about 1:00 AM and the walking line at that time is just about always empty or just a few people. But yesterday the line was about 30 people deep, which isn't bad, but those BP agents were acting like assholes to just about everybody giving them the 3rd degree asking bunch of stupid questions from people who didn't look like terrorist or drug smugglers. When it was my time, I said it was slow at work so I came to TJ to eat dinner, and visit a few bars. If they would have asked I would have said Adelitas, but wouldn't have admitted I was with a sex worker.

 

[Micah]

The San Diego taxi drivers don't want to have to deal with the traffic to get back into the US so they'll not go past the border. I'm sure if you paid them enough, they'd take you right to Adelita from downtown San Diego. The TJ taxi mafia might also not like to see SD taxis in their turf and might have their policia friends make life difficult. Plus taxi drivers on the California side have a lot more chances to make fares versus the guys in Laredo TX that have a much smaller set of customers. How much did Zappata charge you to take you to NLBT from Laredo, and then out to the Airport?

 

[aspirit]

On that- 10-4 good buddie! Keen insight not to go around Jan 31----It is getting worse and worse...Huge line on the Sunday pm after Thanksgiving was a buzzkill. Did locate White Van guys- S 7-10 for express service to the customs booth! When was in Laredo I got a Taxi guy named Zappata who takes you all the way to Boystown in NL. He will come and bring you back..dependable - he was back at 6 am to take me to Laredo Int Airport too. How come Laredo Taxis can take you into Mexico- but not in TJ ? if you need a "Driver" down there call yellow ask for Zappata.. Boystown is Awesome- very hot chicas !!! Its pretty big I found it on Goggle Earth !!!

 

[misuti]

La lيnea is going to be a clustf*ck of major proportions for the first few days after this takes effect. I'd imagine a lot of norteamericanos will be caught off guard even though there's been notices in the media and at the border for weeks. I really wonder if they're going to tell all those people w/o proof of citizenship they'll have to go back to Mexico. And with people showing up with their birth certificate in all of their various forms, how is that going to work? My birth certificate is 40 years old and was typewritten. I'm sure a kid today could make something more authentic looking at Kinkos in about five minutes.

If this is like the airplane/sea requirement last summer, I bet the government will rescind the rule. If the DHS and State Department had their act together, they would have the border crossing card ready and skip this middle step of birth certificates and just go to passport or border card.

I hate being in the lines today and cross over in the middle of the night when I come back from Nuevo Laredo since there is zero lines. I've been lucking coming back from TJ late and haven't been shaken down by TJ police... yet. This development will definitely make TJ panocha less convenient. There's no way in the world I'd be down there the weekend of Feb 1st 2008.