Posted by: Editor on Aug 21, 2006 – 10:43 AM
newsandinfo  The United States Government has extended a travel initiative that requires citizens of the US, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico to have a passport when entering the US.

The first phase of the travel initiative will come on stream seven days later than originally expected, January 8, 2007, officials at the US Embassy in Nassau said yesterday in a press release.

“The US Department of Homeland Security has extended the first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) by one week, from January 1, 2007 to January 8, 2007,” the statement read.

Officials hope that the recent extension will ease the “burden” of implementing a new system during the busy Christmas holiday season.

US officials said the WHTI would require, with some exceptions, that citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the British overseas territory of Bermuda, present a passport to enter the United States when arriving by air or sea from any part of the Western Hemisphere, including The Bahamas.

The press release added that US efforts to promote awareness of WHTI are ongoing. “During consultations in Washington, DC in June, US Ambassador, John Rood, promoted awareness of the travel initiative within the United States, by securing approval for placement of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism’s posters reminding travellers of the passport initiative to be posted in all US customs and passport facilities in Florida,” according the statement.

In 2005 then US Charge d’ Affairs, Robert Witajewski, revealed that the regulations were a part of the “Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act” passed by the US Congress in 2004. The Act mandated a more secure standard for determining a traveller’s identity and nationality.

The law is largely based on recommendations from a Homeland Security commission that studied security failures leading to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Source: The Nassau Guardian