Millions of travelers continue to enter the United States without proper identification despite a strict, new law, an Office of Inspector General report revealed.
The Houston Chronicle reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors have been lax in the enforcement of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative putting the nation at risk.
The paper noted that the law, which went into effect in June 2009, requires those seeking entry into the United States to have passports or other types of specified secure identification.
According to the paper, 2.3 million people failed to show proper identification in the first eight months after the law went into effect.
In a response to the report, a Customs official maintained that “all travelers have to satisfy, and will continue to have to satisfy, the inspecting officer of their identity, citizenship and admissibility prior to their admission to the United States," the newspaper said. The law was enacted in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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