subject: Concerns Over Immigration And Lost U.s. Passports [print this page] The international psyche has been damaged beyond repair by the violence terrorism has unleashed. While acts of terror are thousands of years old and were even written about as long ago as 2000 years by a great Chinese expert on war, they have nevertheless gained a greater notoriety of late. This translates to an even greater emphasis on proper documentation of individuals who participate in the global transportation system so a lost or pass port must be dealt with immediately.
There are other reasons to keep the proper paperwork while traveling. In the event of a natural disaster like a volcano or earthquake the paperwork may be the only way to communicate with officials if you do not speak the local language. Many also find it necessary to present proper documentation to make purchases or even stay at certain hotels.
An additional concern is that without proper paperwork you run the risk of being considered an illegal immigrant. With the world suffering from one of the worst recessions seen in a century, is decidedly unhealthy to be mistaken for people looking for work. But in general, populations are reasonably generous during periods with good economies while they become decidedly less magnanimous when times get tough.
As jobs become less plentiful, systems look at immigrants and see threats in the form of competition for those jobs that are available. Despite the fact most of the jobs immigrants take are extremely low paying and are performed in less than ideal conditions that citizens normally would not even consider applying for, they are seeing in a different light as the economy shrinks.
Thus, most developed nations have detailed procedures which a foreign national must follow to legally immigrate into their country. For those who would visit another country. Protecting the travel documents so carefully prepared for the trip is especially critical. These documents afford the bearer considerable protection during their visit. This can be especially critical if the visitors cannot speak the language of the country they are visiting.
The current environment is even more complex given the many nations involved in the war on terror and the increased security stance officials in every country must exercise. As travel documents are improved and become more sophisticated, terror networks become equally creative in their attempt to circumvent travel restrictions. With new trends towards recruiting individuals from other countries to fight their battles, immigration officials have a difficult task.
Even if travel authorizations are simply misplaced and not used by anyone else, it can severely complicate further travel until they are replaced. Increased security measures now include sophisticated recordings of individual biometrics and thus are more complicated and difficult to reproduce. This just adds to the importance of being very careful with all of your possessions, especially U.S. passports, while traveling.
