Governor Janet Napolitano & U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to move forward on the creation of Arizona's 3-in-1 ID - a voluntary identification that complies with Arizona's driver's license standards, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) & can be used in the work eligibility process.
"Arizonans deal every day with the many complex issues surrounding border security & immigration," said Gov. Napolitano. "I believe this enhanced identification will be a useful tool. It is my hope that the partnership with the Secretary & the agency will support work on this new project throughout the process of its development."
"I value the Governor's leadership in making Arizona licenses more secure," said Secretary Chertoff. "America knows too well how dangerous unsecured licenses can be. The public is way ahead of government when it comes to secure identification. They want protection from identity theft, & they want greater facilitation of lawful trade & travel. Agreements like this one, & the others before it, move secure identification in the right direction, & I urge other states to do the same."
The Arizona agreement, much like those established with the states of Washington, Vermont & New York earlier this year, will serve as an option available to U.S. citizens to satisfy WHTI requirements. DHS announced in June that U.S. & Canadian citizens will need to present either a WHTI-compliant document or government-issued photo ID & proof of citizenship, such as a driver's license & birth certificate, beginning on Jan. 31st, 2008, for admissibility into the U.S. The department intends to end the routine practice of accepting oral declarations alone at land & sea ports of entry at that time.
The 3-in-1 ID will require legislative approval, which the Governor has committed to seek.
Arizona is developing a technologically-enhanced driver's license that will securely validate the identity & U.S. citizenship of Arizona residents who voluntarily apply & qualify. The enhanced driver's license, which is proposed to be accepted for border-crossing purposes under WHTI, is expected to be slightly more expensive than a standard Arizona state driver's license & will require proof of citizenship, identity, & residence.
The enhanced document also will be aligned to comply with REAL ID over time. Governor Napolitano will continue to urge the federal government to fully fund REAL ID, so it doesn't become another unfunded mandate to the states.
DHS, in turn, will provide the technology and data sharing specifications to facilitate the use & verification of the enhanced driver's license at a port of entry.
DHS & the Dept. of State expect the date of full WHTI implementation to be in the summer of 2008 when U.S. citizens traveling between the U.S. & Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, the Caribbean, & Bermuda by land or sea, will be required to present a valid U.S. passport or other acceptable document. The precise implementation date will be formally announced with at least 60 days notice.