Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
(WHTI)
Enhanced Tribal Card (ETC)
Initiative
Why WHTI
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9/11 Commission Recommendation
In 2004 Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act (IRTPA) which created WHTI
All travelers, including USC, traveling from Canada, Mexico,
Bermuda and the Caribbean (list on CBP website)
Secure document that denotes both identity and citizenship to
enter the United States
Outside the Western Hemisphere need Passport book
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WHTI Document Requirements
U.S. and Canadian – June 1, 2009
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Single Document Option for all U.S. and Canadian travelers are:
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U.S. or Canadian Passport
U.S. Passport Card
Trusted Traveler Card – NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST
State or Provincial Enhanced Driver’s License
Enhanced Tribal Card (when available)
U.S. Military ID with orders
U.S. Merchant Mariner Document
Form I-872 American Indian Card
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Card – Secure Certificate of Indian
Status (SCIS)
DHS did provide a temporary acceptance of the current Native American
Tribal Photo ID Card beyond June 1 to allow a reasonable transition period
for those Tribes pursuing an enhanced tribal card (ETC)
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Non-US or Canadian Citizens
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Requirements for non-U.S. and Canadian citizens were
in place prior to WHTI and remain unchanged
Passport and Visa
n  Permanent Resident Card (issued by CIS)
n  Border Crossing Card (Mexican Nationals) (Issued by DOS)
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and the next generation of PRC will have RFID
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What does an RFID Card look like?
RFID chip embedded
For use at land and sea border crossings only
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ETC
Process and Document
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ETC Process and Technology
n  Modeled
after Passport and EDL business process
n  Includes facilitative technologies document is
machine readable with MRZ/OCR and RFID
n  Security features in document to prevent
counterfeiting
n  Data share between Tribe and CBP for real time
validation
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EDL States and Provinces
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In 2008, DHS Secretary engaged the states and provinces to produce EDLs
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States
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Washington
New York
Vermont
Michigan
Minnesota
Provinces
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British Columbia
Manitoba
Quebec
Ontario
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ETC Process
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Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) begins negotiations
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IT Working Groups – Once MOA signed
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MOA sets forth all business rules for the initiative
Card testing – RFID and MRZ readability
Data share testing – push or pull model
Once passed testing, green light for production
Notification - Just prior to production:
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Security features of new EDL goes out to field officers in a memo
Letter to carriers on new EDL and artwork
CBP press release
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Enhanced U.S. Tribal Card (ETC) and INAC Card
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ETC only for federally recognized U.S. tribes; INAC for Canadian tribes
INAC has new Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS) card
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ETC MOAs Signed
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WHTI Compliant
Issuance began December 29, 2009
Kootenai of Idaho
Pascua Yaqui of Arizona
Seneca of New York
Tohono O’odham of Arizona
Coquille of Oregon
Hydaburg of Alaska
Suquamish, Colville, and Puyallop Tribes of Washington State
Fond du Lac of Minnesota
Turtle Mountain Band Of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan
CBP is in negotiations with six other Tribes on their MOA
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ETCs in Production
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Pascua Yaqui began production on July 26, 2010
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Kootenai began production on May 4, 2011
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FRN published on January 31, 2012
Seneca began production on May 4, 2011
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Federal Register Notice (FRN) published June 9, 2011
FRN published on July 13, 2015
Hydaburg began production on February 24,
2015
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FRN in process
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Pascua Yaqui and Kootenai ETCs
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SCIS Card
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Other Issues
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CBP currently continues to accept non-enhanced version of photo tribal
identification past June 1, 2009 in an effort to transition Native American travelers
and to provide time for tribes to enhance their identification cards.
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CBP remains sensitive to the unique cultural and religious traditions including
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Ceremonial items such as eagle feathers, plants and sacred bundles
Native lands that are intersected by the border, resulting in strong cross-border family
connections
Access to cross-border facilities and services due to the remote geographical location
of the tribes
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As a result, CBP has established a tribal liaison in each land border field office to
ensure such concerns are properly addressed with a uniform POC and for cultural
sensitivity awareness for officers.
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Through FEMA, DHS is providing grant monies to U.S. tribes for ETC
production. The grant monies are annual and tribes may reapply each year.
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Tribal Homeland Security Grant
Program (THSGP)
n  Administered
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through FEMA
was amended in 2010 to include the ETC.
THSGP Grant Guidance and Application Kit is
located online at: http://www.fema.gov/grants as well
as on www.grants.gov.
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Questions?
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