Do Mexicans coming to the U.S. legally have to have a Mexican passport now?? If not, why can Mexicans coming here have a looser entry requirement than U.S. citizens?

Of course, there’s no good reason for this.

Of course that begs the age old question of "What is good?" If the good is defined as building up the federal bureaucracy and creating a false sense of security, then perhaps there are good reasons for this after all.

True, as far it goes. However.

Is this an equitable (to say nothing of wise) trade: a de facto legal document in exchange for a certification of superficial familiarity with traffic law?

I guess we differ on this one, because preventing illegals from getting drivers licenses may feel like a punitive measure but the end result is...a bunch of unlicensed drivers driving the streets.

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I think you may be misreading me because from my POV we don't disagree on that point at all.

...illegals to obtain driver's liceses, so they could drive and get taxpayer funded services, and vote for Democrats...

I guess we differ on this one, because preventing illegals from getting drivers licenses may feel like a punitive measure but the end result is...a bunch of unlicensed drivers driving the streets.

I'm very sympathetic to the idea that we don't want to "reward" bad behavior, but we should also be aware of how we encourage it too.

"...(B)eginning yesterday, state-issued driver's licenses, identification cards and birth certificates are no longer acceptable documents for travelers 16 and older..."
Oscar Preciado, director of the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry, (San Diego) said that for now, travelers who don't comply are being handed informational fliers. Eventually, those without the right documents will undergo a secondary inspection."
www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/02/new-rites-passage-debut/?uniontrib

Full and strict enforcement (i.e., "no passport, no entry") is not in effect.

Yes. Now build the g-d fence and let's have the immigration controls that most U.S. citizens demand.

Anyway, if your life were made "easier", you might have to give up cheap lawn care, Mexican Combo plates and pay $5.00 for a head of lettuce; Didn't you see a Day Without Mexicans?

Not true.

Section 212 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA), gives discretionary authority to the DHS Secretary to allow aliens entry into the U.S. for "urgent humanitarian reasons." I'm pretty sure that this covers emergency medical treatment.

Additionally, Title 8 of the U.S. Code has entry provisions for the emergency treatment of aliens.

Closed loop cruises, as they never embark passengers from non-U.S. ports, are not effected by the new rules.

At any rate, I'm a little sick my life being made more difficult to deter terrorists/illegals/etc. Aren't you?

Sure.
Wouldn't be needed, though if we hadn't spent all that time and money trying to make it easier for illegals to obtain driver's liceses, so they could drive and get taxpayer funded services, and vote for Democrats, Hmmm?

I think if you look again, Herb, you'll find Alex was talking there, about one aspect of the new rule...

I was actually talking about Bush's recurring surprise, not anything Alex had said.

Bush in May of 09 (From thestar.com's story linked above):

"I'll be frank with you Frank, I don't know about the passport issue," Bush told the crowd of 6,000.

Bush in April 05 (From the AP report I linked above):

"When I first read that in the newspaper about the need to have passports, particularly today's crossings that take place, about a million for instance in the state of Texas, I said, `What's going on here?"' Bush said when asked about the rules at a meeting of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Don't you find that just a little strange? Maybe he really doesn't "know about the passport issue." Maybe, as the guy who implemented it, he does... Like I said, I'm not calling him a liar and I'm not calling him stupid, but something just doesn't add up there.

At any rate, I'm a little sick my life being made more difficult to deter terrorists/illegals/etc. Aren't you?

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush admitted yesterday they had no idea the U.S. was implementing a new rule Monday

I can see that if you are not on a border state. Here in Michigan it's old news but if you were from the interior I can see it not being big news.

So what it amounts too is when when entering or leaving Canada we get to have our vehicles ripped apart...but with a passport in hand. I'll stay put, thanks.

And far too often, far too many illegal immigrants have been "freely" entering the U.S. on the strength of a (bogus) driver's license.

Here on the southern border, the benefits of the new policy are obvious: Yesterday, the border wait for traffic entering San Diego from Tijuana, usually 90 minutes to 2 hrs at peak times, was down to less than 15 minutes.

Coincidentally, the wait time was dramatically increased for people who lined up to climb the fence and sneak across the border.

FWIW, my radar will be up much more for what they make us carry within the country, rather than at entry.