(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department announced Friday the final rule for the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a core 9/11 Commission recommendation for strengthening U.S. national security.

According to DHS, "The WHTI final rule requires travelers to present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States."

The document requirements will be effective June 1, 2009.

"We are on course to implement and enforce the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which is an important step forward in securing the homeland," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, in a statement.

"Limiting and standardizing the types of documents presented will result in a more secure and efficient border. We will continue to encourage cross-border travel and trade while at the same time decreasing identity theft and fraud," Chertoff said.

"The good news is that the Bush administration will not fight the new law that moves the passport requirement to next year," said Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "The bad news is that there is little reason to believe DHS will be ready even then.

"Unfortunately, for DHS this rule does not signal a change of attitude but only a grudging acknowledgement that Congress meant what it said when it postponed the passport requirement," Leahy said.

"The Homeland Security Department's record does not instill confidence in how they will handle the remaining steps in implementing WHTI," he said. "There is no indication that they will be ready with the appropriate technology infrastructure at our borders to handle new documents.

"There is no reason to believe border upgrades will be ready," Leahy said. "There is no signal they will reconsider using problematic RFID technology that poses security and privacy concerns.

"There is no assurance that they will have enough time to hire and train the border agents who will be needed to implement the passport requirement. And there is no reason to believe that adequate consultations with Canada are underway, even now," he added.

"In DHS's hands, WHTI is not an advance in security but smoke and mirrors with little real benefit and the potential for a great deal of collateral damage to our economy," Leahy said.

"With billions of U.S. exports to Canada at stake and troubling economic times upon us, continuing uncertainty is the last thing American producers and our potential Canadian customers need right now," he said.

Chertoff is scheduled to testify before the committee on April 2.

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