Border Lines

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 1/1/1998

A U.S. immigration law set to go into effect later this year is cause for concern on both borders. Section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, scheduled for implementation by Sept. 30, mandates installation of a "smart card" system to monitor non-U.S. citizens when they enter or leave the country. Opponents predict that the documentation, verification, and tracking process, to be administered by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), could cause delays of up to 17 hours for truckers crossing the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. As written, the law applies to both Canadian and Mexican citizens, but technical amendments that would exempt Canadian citizens and keep the current system of entry visas for Mexican citizens have been introduced in the House and Senate. The technology itself also is under fire. As of this writing, the INS had not yet formulated implementation plans, raising concerns that the agency will rush testing and installation.