Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

McALLEN - A South Texas family with two children may have to pay $358 in fees for passports in order to travel to Mexico, a border congressman has warned.

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-McAllen, said he opposed the Bush Administration's "Passport Tax." Doggett said he would fight to keep border commerce growing.

"Crossing the border is a way of life in border communities," Doggett wrote. "We should not require the millions of U.S. citizens who live along our borders to get a passport just to do the everyday things that most Americans take for granted - shop, go to the doctor, have dinner, take in a sporting event, or visit friends and relatives."

The letter was co-signed by 39 members of Congress. They included U.S. Reps Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, and Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi.

Under the DHS's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all U.S. citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico would have to have a passport or other accepted secure document in order enter or re-enter the United States after Jan. 1, 2008.

On Sept 1, DHS announced it would likely accept the Border Crossing Card, otherwise known as the laser visa, in lieu of a passport. The agency is also considering the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection, NEXUS, and Free and Secure Trade program cards for acceptance under WHTI.

Doggett said the inclusion of such alternatives was vital to border economies.

"While I applaud the possible inclusion of these documents, which are vital to trade and border economies, acceptance of these cards would not give relief to the average American family crossing the border to visit family, worship, shop, or holiday," Doggett said.

"The Administration has failed to address the biggest problem of the WHTI, the 'passport tax,' which would require the average family to pay $358 simply to shop in Matamoros or visit grandparents in Reynosa."

Doggett's letter urges Rice and Chertoff to consider alternative and less expensive documentation that would establish identity and citizenship for American citizens. The letter also notes President Bush's concern that requiring a passport for everyone would "disrupt the honest flow of traffic." Doggett said a promised review of the proposals had only considered business interests, while leaving the needs of hardworking families unmet.

Meanwhile, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce has asked its members to rally against the new passport measures. In an e-newsletter sent to members, the group said it strongly recommended postponement of the initiative until 2010. The chamber says the proposals will hurt border economies, tourism and working families.

"The passport rule impacts the Winter Texan market," the e-newsletter states. "Winter Texans play a major role in tourism for our region. Passport requirements will increase cost and reduce the number of Winter Texans."