New border rules irk some in U.S. Congress

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Members of Congress from both parties are calling on the U. S. Department of Homeland Security not to institute plans for new border crossing requirements.

Beginning Thursday, U.S. and Canadians citizens 19 and older will have to prove their identity before they can enter the United States by land, The Washington Times reported.

Those who lack a passport, birth certificate or driver's license can be delayed while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers verify their identity and citizenship.

Congress' bipartisan Northern Border Caucus, which includes seven Republican members, has called on Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to ax the new rules, the Times said.

The group wants Chertoff to continue accepting oral declarations and government-issued photo ID cards as proof of citizenship until full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in June 2009.

At that time, all citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda will have to show identity and citizenship documents at the border.