Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff wants to fingerprint all visitors coming into the United States. He also wants to fingerprint Canadians who don't come into the U.S. The demand has put the future of an expedited border crossing station near Buffalo in doubt. The Washington Post reports today that Canadian business representatives arrived in Washington this week to lobby for the station's survival (no word if they were fingerprinted or not).
The main beef is over Chertoff's demand that Canada let DHS fingerprint Canadian citizens who approach the border and turn back at the last minute, the idea being that someone who exhibits such behavior is worth watching closely. But the Canadian government flatly rejected the demand (in large part because it violates Canadian law), which caused Chertoff to respond by scrapping plans for the Peace Bridge, the "pre-clearance" screening station that would let Canadians who enter the U.S. every day to do business come and go without major delay.
Peace Bridge, eh? We'll let you come up with your own joke, eh.
Photo: Danny Williams
