The United States said today it will temporarily relax new rules requiring passports for US citizens flying to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean because of a huge passport application backlog.
The decision, announced a day after a controversial bill to revamp immigration laws and tighten border security stalled in Congress, will make it easier for thousands of Americans to keep their summer vacation plans but may expose the White House to criticism that it undermines border security.
Until September, US citizens going to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean may travel with government-issued identification and official State Department proof showing they have applied for a passport.
The decision reflects the government's inability to keep up with a surge in passport applications following passage of a 2004 law that requires US citizens traveling to those areas to carry passports.
The requirement went into effect on January 23rd and increased the number of Americans applying for passports to more than 1.7 million in each of the first three months of the year from about 1 million in December.
Both Congress and the commission that investigated the September 11th attacks urged stronger travel document security to prevent Muslim militants from entering the United States and to reduce passport fraud.