- U.S. border agents will soon have access to the immigration
and tax records of Canadian residents for use in nabbing terrorists before
they cross the American border. U.S. officials said an impending merger
of Canadian and U.S. immigration and customs databases will also help them
intercept illegal aliens, criminals and fugitives.
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- Officials said the measure will give U.S. front-line
agents the power to check Canadian residents -- citizens, immigrants, refugees
or visitors -- driving into the U.S. at land crossings.
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- They said U.S. officers will have access to Revenue Canada
files, which contain tax information on Canadians, including their work
records, property owned and investments.
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- That information may lead to unemployed people being
refused entry into the U.S., officers said.
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- The merging of databases is one of 32 points in a smart
border action plan that has been in the works since 2002.
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- http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/01/08/307878.html
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