Let's ensure our border safety in a simple, accessible way
TOM REYNOLDS Congressman 26th District
Itake every step we can to stem the flow of illegal and terrorist activity from crossing our border. Sometimes, however, there is red tape standing in the way of even critical things such as protecting our borders.

Unfortunately, starting this week, Western New Yorkers will feel the sting of such failed bureaucratic polices. That's because we will be required to present documentation showing proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, and proof of identity, such as a driver's license, when traveling to and from Canada.

Oral declarations of citizenship will no longer be accepted.

This new policy is the first phase of the Department of Homeland Security's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will eventually require U.S. citizens to have a passport to travel to Canada. While we need to secure our borders, this bureaucratic nightmare is not the way.

Of the many concerns I have with this initiative, I am most concerned with the harm that will be done to the economic security of our region by the failure of DHS to effectively execute this policy. With the challenges we're facing economically and the importance of cross-border commerce, this is the wrong policy at the wrong time.

Canadians visiting New York spend more than $560 million annually. In fact, exported goods valued at $28.5 billion enter Canada through the Buffalo-Niagara region. Western New Yorkers simply cannot afford the confusion and delays that will become apparent because this policy has been poorly implemented.

We must have a border security policy that balances the need of protecting our borders while ensuring the economic vitality of border communities. What Western New Yorkers deserve is a travel system that is realistic to implement and affordable for all citizens - a system that is simple, economical and accessible.

One way of providing just this type of system is by enhancing something nearly all New Yorkers already have: a driver's license.

An enhanced driver's license will provide Western New Yorkers an alternative to a passport. That is why I have fought for enhanced driver's licenses for Western New Yorkers to cross the border by providing proof of citizenship and identity in one document.

These enhanced driver's licenses will be ready as early as this summer. In the meantime, we certainly need to examine the impact of WHTI and take the facts to DHS to underscore why implementation of WHTI needs to be delayed.

The Department of Homeland Security has continually bungled protecting our borders and failed to understand the impact of WHTI on our economy. That is why I promise to continue fighting for a solution that is simple, economical and accessible for all Western New Yorkers.