President Bush said on Thursday he hoped to find flexibility in a new policy that will require all Mexicans and Canadians to show passports when traveling to the United States.
Americans visiting those countries would also need passports for reentry, under a new initiative unveiled last week by the Department of Homeland Security.
Most travelers now only need a drivers’ license for such cross-border trips within North America.
Bush, who was asked about the policy during an appearance before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, said he was sympathetic to businesspeople and tourists who have expressed concern about the policy, reported Reuters.
“When I first read that in the newspaper, about the need to have passports … I said, ‘What’s going on here?”‘ Bush said.
He said the policy is “evidently” based on what is required in the laws. But said he has asked to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and senior aides at the Department of Homeland Security to see “if there’s some flexibility in the law.”
“You’re right, … if people have to have a passport, it’s going to disrupt honest flow of traffic,” Bush said. “I think there’s some flexibility in the law. And that’s what we’re checking out right now.”
