Crossing boundaries

There been a big debate on immigration and illegal immigration lately; I quite consciously list them as two separate issues. And while it's a bit farcical to hear Pres. Bush lecture on the importance of scrupulous respect for the law, I'll save the meat of the issue (the status of illegal immigrants) for another essay. But there is an important related issue.

While most of the focus is on the US-Mexico frontier, any changes to border control issues will also affect the US-Canada boundary..

This is of great concern to people around here and in other parts of northern New York. There are a suprising number of migrant workers in my area. The number of Eastern Europeans working in the nearby tourist region around Lake George has skyrocketed in the last few years. However, to the best of my knowledge, all these workers are here legally.

Yet, changes affect this region because one of the biggest groups of visitors to the Lake George area is tourists from nearby Québec. Crossborder commerce with Canada is the lifeblood of many New York communities closer to the border, like Plattsburgh.

A new law will require a passport in order to enter the country (note: this won't take effect until the beginning of 2008; a driver's license or ID will suffice until then). This has caused an uproar in heavily conservative northern New York. Democrats and Republicans alike complain that this will cripple the economy of a region already so starved for jobs that it's been compared to Appalachia by the state's most prominent candidate for governor.

Elected officials in northern New York (who are overwhelmingly Republican) are trying to figure out some sort of compromise plan that the area's repesentatives in Washington can push through Congress. Perhaps some sort of special ID card solely for the US-Canada border that regular travelers can get with a background check or something like that.

Border crossing procedures seem erratic and arbitrary. Maybe that's the nature of the beast, but maybe what's needed is more streamlined procedures, not more regulations that will applied randomly.

Following 9/11, I've heard many a warning that if you're going through the main US-Canada border crossing in northeastern New York, you should allot a couple hours returning to the US just in case. But the last time I went to Montréal with a friend, when we came back, the US border guard simply asked us where we were going and let us through after we answered. We'd take out our wallets, assuming he was going to at least take the perfunctory action of checking our IDs, but he never did.

Another time when I came back from Montréal on a bus, I was singled out for special treatment by the border guards. They made me empty my overstuffed backpack (1 minute to empty, 10 minutes to repack) and searched through every item. And this was before 9/11, mind you.

Then again, Canada has fewer border patrol than the Americans do on the same border. They also have more relaxed entry procedures on land routes from the US into Canada. Yet people aren't trying to bomb buildings in Vancouver or to fly a plane into 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Maybe if the US had a more responsible foreign policy like our northern neighbors, we wouldn't have to worry about people trying to enter the country to blow us up. But that's a topic for another essay.



Update: Unfortunately, northern New York was recently invaded by hordes from this new group, the so-called Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. They claim their sole purpose is to help the border guard patrol the frontiers. They claim they're not vigilantes or extremists. They claim they just want the law respected. They claim they are non-partisan. Yet their very own official website contains gems like this.

NY STATE HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY A SENATOR WHO NEVER EVEN LIVED HERE. SHE RODE HER HUSBAND'S COATTAILS TO GET HERE AND NOW SHE IS SELLING OUT NOT ONLY THE STATE BUT THE WHOLE COUNTRY. IF THIS DOESN'T PUT YOU ON THE BORDER TO PROTEST NOTHING WILL.

(Yes, this was written in ALL CAPS)

Adirondack Musing blog offers a sample of comments from the so-called Minutemen's blog.

REID AND CLINTON WERE BOTH PARTIAL BIRTH VICTIMS, HAD THEIR BRAINS SUCKED OUT, BUT SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SURVIVE. IDIOTS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

one more captins mast of swiftboatvets, These immigrants want all of the privileges of American life, but don’t want to do anything for this country. If they want of come here, they should have to put their lives on the line just as our ancestors did.

Its time for an end to multiculturalism in this country , Its time for people to either be American or get the hell out , we don't need mex Americans or African Americans , just American , If you want to be something else , get the hell out

I hate them. They have sold us out to Mexico. The history books will write about the dishinest senate in the year of 2006.They will write later about how the Minutemen came back from the ashes of history and stomped their lying asses out!

The Whores in Washington will do nothing.
The illegal marches in big cities is nothing more than anarchy, and a massive illegal foreign invasion, along with the useful idiot enabler school kids supporting them. The lead is going to start flying before long and we are going to be in a civil war to protect what's rightfully ours!

Dear Congress and Senate, Get the no good lazy people sitting on their ass's and colecting "welfare" off their buts and to work each day like the rest of us.... dumb ass liars and crooks and claim to have sworn on a bible to serve and protect,,, how in the hell they stand the mirror each day is a unknown to me.

I'm reassured.