Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) will be joined by representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and The Cato Institute for a press conference on border crossing identification.  CAGW will release its report, Border Security: PASS Card Fails on Cost, Privacy.

What: Release of CAGW’s report, Border Security: PASS Card Fails on Cost, Privacy
Who: Citizens Against Government Waste, American Civil Liberties Union, and The Cato Institute
When: Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 11 a.m. EST
Where: Federal Room. 2^nd Floor.

              Hotel Washington

             15th & Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.

             Washington, D.C. 20004

Reporters who are unable to attend may still participate over a conference call.  Call 512-597-6483 shortly before 11 a.m.  Access code: 655896# 

Speakers will include CAGW President Tom Schatz, ACLU Legislative Counsel on Privacy Issues Tim Sparapani, and Cato Director of Information Policy Studies Jim Harper.  Refreshments will be served. 

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, slated to go in effect in 2008, requires U.S. citizens and all travelers to show a passport or other document approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to enter the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.  The State Department and DHS are locked in a heated battle over what type of technology should be used in the new system, which will impact commerce, travelers, and taxpayers.  The PASS Card, or People Access Security Service, may be embedded with an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip that could be read from 30 to 50 feet away.  Speakers will raise concerns regarding the cost, privacy implications, and effectiveness of RFID technology. 

The report will be available at the press conference and at www.cagw.org.  For answers to further questions, to schedule an interview, or to order a hard copy, please contact Alexa Moutevelis (202-467-5318, amoutevelis@cagw.org).

Citizens Against Government Waste is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.