The Washington Times
The Bush administration plans to pull the plug on a new border-security program requiring millions of visa-carrying Mexican nationals to be fingerprinted and photographed before being allowed to enter the United States, according to congressional and Bush administration sources.
Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson, according to an advance copy of testimony he was scheduled to deliver yesterday before the House Government Reform Committee, had planned to tell the panel of a move to scrap the border checks for some Mexican nationals visiting the United States, but never mentioned the subject.
Instead, during questioning by Rep. John F. Tierney, Massachusetts Democrat, he acknowledged only that the matter was under consideration and that several options were available. He also said, without elaboration, that his preference would be to roll back security checks for some Mexican nationals.
The elimination of photographs and fingerprint checks for Mexican nationals who hold "laser visas" is viewed as a concession to Mexican President Vicente Fox, who is scheduled to visit with President Bush today and tomorrow at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch.