Border Trade Alliance Urges Congressional Attention to Continued Underfunding of Aged Land Ports and Border Security Initiatives

Washington D.C. July 1, 2009 - Today, Border Trade Alliance (BTA) pressed the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure secure trade and travel at our borders is made a priority, in-line with the $830 billion in annual economic activity it generates, in upcoming federal spending bills.

Currently, the House and Senate versions of the FY10 DHS Appropriations bill are absent funding for critical land port infrastructure upgrades and may fail to match the President’s budget request for previously mandated border security initiatives. This combination of budgetary shortfalls threatens to undermine the secure movement of more than 45.7 million pedestrians, 10.7 million commercial trucks, and 107.5 million personal vehicles - to a sum of over 3/4 of a trillion in economic activity at our land borders. In 2008, Michigan alone handled nearly $67 billion in surface trade with Canada.

Most U.S. land ports were built half a century or more ago without the adequate infrastructure to handle the tremendous growth in trade and implementation of the many layers of security now in place at all U.S. land ports of entry. BTA is urging Congress to address the continued need for more capacity on our bridges, more cargo and passenger lanes at our land ports of entry, and a greater number of staffed inspection booths to securely and efficiently facilitate the tremendous volume of trade and travel at our ports.

“Clearly, with studies showing that U.S-Mexico cross-border delays cost $716 million in output losses and 3,600 jobs in labor losses in California alone, solutions to these problems would pay for themselves.”, said BTA President Maria Luisa O’Connell. “Our border states, and the nation at large, should not have to continue to bare the burdens of the historic underfunding of our land ports.”

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Border Trade Alliance Urges Congressional Action on Congressman Ortiz’ WHTI Improvement Act

Washington D.C. June 18, 2009 - Border Trade Alliance (BTA) today announces its full support of an important bill recently introduced by Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz (TX-27), to address a significant issue impacting the issuance of U.S. passports to citizens.  BTA strongly urges Congress to take immediate action to pass the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act, H.R. 2812.

On June 1, 2009 the Department of Homeland Security implemented the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) at all U.S. land ports of entry.  WHTI requires U.S. citizens to present a U.S. passport or other acceptable government issued documentation to provide proof of citizenship upon reentry into the United States from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.  Many U.S. citizens born outside hospitals via midwives or at other alternative health care facilities have been denied passports as the documentation issued as record of their births has been deemed unacceptable for use as evidence of citizenship by the U.S. Department of State (State).

“Congressman Ortiz’ legislation creates a clear, transparent procedure for individual U.S. citizens born outside the traditional hospital setting to obtain U.S. passports or alternative acceptable documentation in order to return to the United States after traveling abroad,” stated Erin Martin Ward, Chair of the BTA.  “This legislation provides for adequate due process for all U.S. citizens in applying for a passport, which fulfills the intent of Congress when it mandated WHTI in 2006.  We thank Congressman Ortiz and the cosponsors of this bill for their attention to this important matter impacting tens of thousands of our fellow citizens.”

Congressmen  (TX-20), Grijalva (AZ-7), Hinojosa (TX-15), Reyes (TX-16), and Rodriguez (TX-23) joined Congressman Ortiz in support of this legislation as cosponsors. 

Each year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 25,000 U.S. citizens are born outside hospitals.  Rural communities and border states along the U.S. shared border with Canada and Mexico have the highest rates of citizens born outside the traditional hospital setting.  At the same time, many of these U.S. citizens in border regions have livelihoods that are largely dependent on cross-border travel, but under WHTI are restricted from re-entering the U.S. without a passport or other WHTI compliant document.

The BTA has been integrally involved throughout the development of WHTI rules and documentation by DHS and State in advance of its implementation at U.S. land ports of entry.  The BTA supports WHTI and successfully advocated for increased public outreach of the new travel program and its requirements; the development of a lower-cost alternative acceptable document, the PASS card; and the commitment of adequate federal resources to ensure for a smooth transition for cross-border travel upon WHTI implementation at land border crossings on June 1, 2009.

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Select Group of Border & Security Experts Will Advise Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Napolitano, & Obama Administration on U.S. - Mexico Border Operations

Border Trade Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of President Maria Luisa O’Connell, as well as BTA Board Member Pancho Kinney, to the newly formed Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) Southwest Border Task Force, a diverse group of national security experts charged with examining the DHS’s efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border and providing advice and recommendations directly to Secretary Napolitano.

At its inaugural meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 4, 2009, DHS Secretary Napolitano said the Southwest Border Task Force, “…comprised of law enforcement, elected officials and national security experts from around the country, will advise the Department on key issues facing communities along the Southwest border,” said Secretary Napolitano. “I have asked this group to present me with concrete recommendations to address the complex challenges we face in this region, and their collective expertise will be a critical asset as we work to secure the border while facilitating legal travel and trade.”

The new task force underscores DHS’ emphasis on Southwest border security in response to ongoing drug cartel violence in Mexico. Secretary Napolitano asked the 20-member group to focus on two major challenges: ensuring rigorous inspections processes at ports of entry while facilitating commerce; and assessing the practical consequences of border violence and DHS’ response to communities along the Southwest border.

BTA will be working with it’s members and border stakeholders to provide accurate information, feedback, and expertise that reflect the realities at our our borders, to support any recommendations put before the task force. 

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US-Border Land Port Congestion

Border Trade Alliance Urges Nominee to Outline Plans to Ensure GSA Addresses Critical Border Ports Infrastructure Upgrades

Washington D.C. - Border Trade Alliance (BTA) strongly urges Ms. Martha N. Johnson, President Obama’s nominee to head the General Services Administration (GSA) to outline her intention to lead GSA in upgrading land border infrastructure during her June 3rd confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.  Last week, border communities and businesses were shocked by the GSA decision to eliminate their Land Port of Entry Division, the division responsible for U.S. border land ports.

In 2008, U.S. border land ports were responsible for facilitating more than $830 billion in cross-border trade and processed 45.7 million pedestrians, more than 10.7 million trucks and more than 107.5 million personal vehicles.  The sustained growth of North American land border trade is limited by overburdened and outdated infrastructure at U.S. land ports, most of which were built forty years ago and not designed to handle the volume of trade or the current security procedures conducted at our borders.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided GSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with $720 million for land port infrastructure upgrades.  However, the majority of the projects funded by GSA and CBP were at ports of entry with low crossing volumes, continuing the ongoing need for additional federal investment in infrastructure at our nation’s busiest ports.

BTA calls upon Ms. Johnson to respond to the following concerns during her confirmation testimony:

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The Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have designated enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) and identification documents issued by the States of Vermont and Michigan and the Canadian Provinces of Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Ontario as acceptable documents for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).  CBP began requiring WHTI documentation today under the June 1, 2009 mandated implementation date required by Congress.  EDLs from the States of New York and Washington were previously designated as WHTI-compliant documents by CBP.  EDLs and other WHTI-compliant documents are now required for admittance into the United States at land and sea ports of entry for travelers within North America and the Caribbean.

If you have experience with EDL, Passport, or PASS Cards availability/access under WHTI, please join our Twitter Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative - TWHTI project.  Simply post your location, experience, and #WHTI to your twitter account.  You can follow updates at our twitter account @thebta

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BTA urges border stakeholders to share their experiences throughout the first months of WHTI via Twitter - Yep it’s Called TWHTI!

On June 1st, 2009, the first day of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) full implementation, Border Trade Alliance (BTA), is asking U.S. and Canadian citizens to use Twitter to post their cross-border travel experiences with WHTI to collect feedback on the program at land ports throughout North America.

The project, called TWHTI (pronounced twittee) Twitter the Western Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, will use the free social-media tool, Twitter, to increase public awareness and record real-world experiences during the first months of the implementation of the largest secure traveler program in U.S. history.

TWHTI is an landmark international opportunity to employ social networking to provide other travelers with helpful information, while raising public awareness of WHTI requirements. Utilizing the mobile, real-time and archival aspects of Twitter to automatically compile updates from people on the ground at our border ports of entry will allow the U.S. Federal Government agencies responsible for the intiative - Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Dept. of State (DOS) - to access feedback/data for use in identifying successes and problems.

Anyone can partiipate in TWHTI, all you need is a Twitter account.  BTA is looking for people on the ground at our border ports of entry, to post: #WHTI, along with the location and experience.  Posts should be constructive, focused on getting documentation, general cross-border experience, wait-times at the port, technology, or economic impacts. To see the archive of TWHTI posts, just search for #WHTI in Twitter’s search to see the experiences and connect with other travelers.

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BTA Urges Greater Investment in Border Infrastructure and Resources, in Conjunction With Immigration Reform Efforts to Secure Border

Washington D.C. - On May 20th, Border Trade Alliance (BTA) founding board member, Samuel F. Vale provided testimony, on the behalf of the BTA, before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security hearing “Securing the Borders and America’s Points of Entry, What Remains to Be Done“. As the owner/operator of the Starr Camargo Bridge and President of Telemundo 40, in Rio Grande, TX, Mr. Vale joined fellow BTA member Mayor Chad Foster of Eagle Pass and leaders from CBP and ICE, to provide recommendations on security at our land borders and ports of entry.

The movement of goods and people at our borders generates 2 billion dollars a day in economic activity. In order to better ensure our economic and physical security, BTA testified that the Federal government must do more to address the decades old backlog in our Immigration Codes, while providing more adequate annual infrastructure and resource investments at U.S. land ports of entry.

Today, a majority of U.S. land ports are overburdened by the combination of vast federal security operations with massive increases in cross-border trade and travel volumes at U.S. border crossings. President Obama’s plans to successfully achieve comprehensive immigration reform hinge on the government’s ability to improve the secure and efficient facilitation of legitimate trade and travel at our nations borders.

The following is BTA’s written testimony submitted to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security on May 20th: 

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U.S Trade Relations officials Urge Expansion of Cross-Border Flow of Goods

On May 8-9, 2009, University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) College of Business Administration, Border Trade Alliance (BTA), the Foreign Trade Association, and the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (UACJ) co-sponsored a symposium at UTEP’s El Paso Natural Gas Center with speakers representing the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and other federal agencies, as well as regional academic institutions and business associations.  Led by BTA Chair Erin Ward, the event focused on improving U.S.-Mexico cross-border economic and political cooperation, to ensure North America remained competitive in a global economy.

The U.S. government is not shrinking back from trade, because “the truth is, we need to expand trade to grow our economy,” and with other regions in the world in addition to Mexico and Canada, said Shigetomi, director of the Office of Mexico, NAFTA and the Caribbean Affairs, of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington - from an article on the event in the El Paso Times.

 Topics covered included:

• Factors Compromising North American Competitiveness
• Maquiladoras: Role in North American Trade Policy and Issues
• NAFTA:  Implications and Consequences of Dispute Settlement Procedures and Direction for Trade Policy
• Trade Policy and Border Research: Academic Projects—Measuring the Competitiveness of Mexican Manufactures in Global Markets
• Expert Roundtable working group on Ports of Entry Infrastructure: Facilities and Traffic Management

To learn more about the event or view the presentations visit University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) website:

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Praising the U.S. Federal Government for steps taken to ensure WHTI’s success, BTA shares concerns of Subcommittee members about public readiness and economic impact of June 1st implementation

WASHINGTON D.C. - On May 7th, the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism on the issue of, “Implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative at land and sea ports: Are we ready?”  One of two private sector organizations selected to testify before the committee hearing, BTA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and public sector leaders from DHS, State Dept., and CBP, to provide recommendations and voice concerns regarding WHTI implementation.

Implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) on June 1st, 2009 at U.S. border crossings is likely to have the largest impact on the land border crossing experience of any of the secure traveler programs to date. While SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST and other programs are voluntary in nature, WHTI mandates that all U.S. citizens traveling within North America and the Caribbean have a valid Passport, PASS Card, or Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL).

Despite wide spread improvements and great strides by the Federal Government - including strong public outreach campaigns, increased documentation availability, and uniform technology standards - in the lead up to the final implementation deadline of June 1st, 2009, BTA testified that the economic impacts of WHTI remain uncertain.  Sharing a number of the Subcommittee member concerns on implementation readiness, BTA also called for an end to the long standing underinvestment in resources and infrastructure at our nations ports of entry.

Witnesses at the hearing included:

Dr. Richard Barth, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development, Department of Homeland Security
Mr. Thomas Winkowski, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, Customs and Border Protection
Mr. John Brennan, Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State
Ms. Maria Luisa O’Connell, President, Border Trade Alliance
Mr. Angelo Amador, Director of Immigration Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The following is the Border Trade Alliance written testimony submitted to the subcommittee hearing:

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As many of our readers are aware, the final implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which will require that U.S. Citizens present a Passport, Passport Card or Enhanced Driver’s License for entry into the Unites States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda, is fast approaching on June 1, 2009. 

While the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) will continue to provide recommendations and collaborate with federal agencies to ensure that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is implemented efficiently, the BTA encourages border residents and the traveling public to comply with WHTI requirements by obtaining a Passport, Passport Card, or Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) to make this a smooth transition and to reduce delays that could be caused by not having the appropriate documents.  For more information on WHTI compliant documents and how to obtain them, please visit: getyouhome.gov.

On May 7th, the Border Trade Alliance will testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism on the issue of, “Implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative at land and sea ports: Are we ready?”  The BTA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were the only private sector organizations chose to testify before the committee hearing, joined by public sector leaders from DHS, State Dept., and CBP.

You can watch the testimony live online and find more information on the hearing Webpage.

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