Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico

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Fliers Ready, Passports Aren`t	May 17, 2007

Thursday, May 17, 2007 By Tracy Dingmann Copyright © 2007 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Staff Writer Some Albuquerque high school students who saved for years to pay for an educational trip to Europe were in danger of being left behind because they were still waiting for passports. The students weren`t alone in having a case of passport panic. A new law that requires passports for people flying back to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean, South America or Canada has swamped the State Department with applications. Applications submitted through normal channels are taking months. Expedited applications, which for an extra fee are supposed to be handled in three to five days, are taking weeks. "It`s a nightmare for people who have made travel arrangements and have their tickets and can`t change them," said Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Retired Albuquerque history teacher Dan Sparago said the students had applied in January, well in advance of the State Department`s guideline of 10 weeks. Many of them didn`t get their passports until a few days ago— after Sparago called Wilson`s office. He said he is convinced he would never have gotten the passports in time if her office hadn`t intervened. "We probably would have left four or five kids at home," he said. "And some of them have saved up for two or three years to go on this trip." The new passport requirement is part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which President Bush signed into law in December 2004. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Wilson said New Mexicans have flooded her office with calls complaining about slow or no response from passport agency offices. Some are at risk of having to cancel or change trips, the congresswoman said Wednesday. "It`s completely untenable," Wilson said in an interview. "Yesterday, we were not even able to get faxes through to their (passport) office. We got a message saying they were overwhelmed. Well, no kidding." Wilson said for the last two months her office has been handling 10 to 20 calls a day from New Mexicans waiting for passports— up from the usual one to three a month. "They have to either ease or delay those requirements, and they need to get more people (working) in the passport office," said Wilson. Wilson staffers have been able to resolve most of the 200 or so complaints by calling the passport agency where the application was sent and making sure employees there are aware of the applicant`s travel dates, said Wilson`s communication director, Enrique Carlos Knell. Sen. Jeff Bingaman`s office said the senator had received "maybe 100" calls over the past few weeks and his state-based staff has been working "very, very hard" to assist New Mexicans waiting for passports. "Clearly the State Department did not do a good job preparing for this major change. I`m told that personnel to handle the backlog is ramping up, and I am very anxious to see progress," said Bingaman, D-N.M. He also said the State Department needs an aggressive education campaign to let people know the process is taking much longer than usual. The problem is compounded by the fact that the State Department Web site says nothing about the delay. And until recently, many Post Office employees were still telling customers to expect their passports according to the guidelines, said Knell. Wilson said she also plans to write to major airlines, asking them to be flexible in refund and exchange policies for customers who made travel arrangements well in advance and didn`t get passports in time. That almost happened to Kyla Boswell-Amalla of Albuquerque, who is leaving today on a business trip to Montreal. She applied for a new passport 10 weeks ago and finally got it Wednesday. "When I applied (at the post office) I asked them if I needed to expedite it and they said there would be no need, I would have it in time," said Boswell-Amalla, who finally called Wilson`s office for help. Knell said the State Department told Wilson`s office it processed 12 million passports last year. This year, the department expects to handle up to 20 million, he said. Travel experts say the demand will likely get even worse when the State Department phases in new rules requiring people entering the U.S. by ground and sea from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to have valid passports as well. That change was originally scheduled for 2008 but may be postponed. If your passport is late Contact a congressman for help, but don`t call more than one. Pick one and stick with him or her. Don`t call unless you have two weeks or less remaining before your trip. That will help staffers prioritize your call. If you are going on a cruise, check to see if you need a passport to re-enter the U.S. Some cruise lines are requiring them in advance of a planned change in U.S. law. Rep. Heather Wilson said she will keep her site updated with wait times for new and renewed passports. Her site is wilson.house.gov.