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Washington Post - March 7, 2004

Bush, Fox Settle Short-Term Visa Spat
Mexican Visitors Would Bypass Being Photographed, Fingerprinted at Border

By Mike Allen

CRAWFORD, Tex., March 6 -- President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox reached an agreement in principle Saturday that will allow millions of Mexicans with short-term visas to cross the border without being fingerprinted and photographed by U.S. authorities.

One possible substitute security measure that the administration is considering would be issuing the short-term visitors, many of whom work on the U.S. side or have a relative there, a radio-frequency transponder similar to the EZPass toll-road device.

The concession, announced after Fox stayed overnight at Bush's ranch, represents an effort by the president to promote business and improve relations at a time when Congress is refusing to take up his plan to help Mexicans to work legally in the United States.

"Mexico and the United States are more than neighbors," Bush said as he and Fox stood side by side at a news conference. "We are partners in building a safer, more democratic and more prosperous hemisphere."

The two left unresolved the most pressing issues facing the two countries, including illegal immigration, water owed to the United States under a 1944 treaty and cooperation on energy production.

Administration officials said that after security details are worked out, Mexicans on the 72-hour visas will be exempted from the requirement that anyone entering the country submit to being photographed and fingerprinted. Advocates for immigrants said the requirement would hurt businesses along the border, including ones in South Texas, and could cause long delays at the border.

About 6.8 million people hold such visas, known as laser visas or border-crossing cards, which entail a background check and require the visitor to remain within 25 miles of the border.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040307-122501-5822r.htm

THE WASHINGTON TIMES - March 7, 2004

Bush yields on border dispute

By James G. Lakely

CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush acceded to the demands of Mexican President Vicente Fox and halted plans to fingerprint and photograph documented migrants entering the United States across the southern border.
During a news conference held after a morning meeting between the two men yesterday, Mr. Fox expressed his appreciation to Mr. Bush for scaling back the scope of the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US-VISIT), exempting Mexicans who hold so-called "laser visas" from going through the additional security check.
 Laser visas include a digital photograph and biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, for each cardholder. Mexican nationals coming into the United States began carrying them in October 2002.

Mr. Bush said his decision to drop the fingerprint-and-photograph requirement for visa-holding Mexicans is "very reasonable," and was happy for the "progress" the two countries are making on immigration matters.
He also defended a proposal he made in January to grant worker cards to millions of illegal aliens now in the United States that would award temporary legal status for several years at a time.

All the talk about Mr. Bush's immigration-reform plan, however, is likely to be in vain -- at least this year. Congress, especially the conservative Republicans who dominate the House, have given the president's proposal a cool reception.
John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, traveled to Houston yesterday and accused Mr. Bush of using the Fox visit to court Hispanic voters.     "Latinos can tell it's an election year because George W. Bush is finally paying attention to them," Mr. Kerry charged in a statement.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36776-2004Mar6.html