Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: Designation of an Approved Native American Tribal Card Issued by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community as an Acceptable Document To Denote Identity and Citizenship for Entry in the United States at Land and Sea Ports of Entry, 70984-70986 [2019-27721]
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70984
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2019 / Notices
indicate the specific section of this
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We encourage you to submit
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III. Public Meeting
The Coast Guard does not plan to
hold a public meeting. But you may
submit a request for one on or before
February 10, 2020 using the method
specified under ADDRESSES. Please
explain why you believe a public
meeting would be beneficial. If we
determine that one would aid the
process of thoroughly considering the
application for recertification, we will
hold one at a time and place announced
by a later notice in the Federal Register.
IV. Background and Purpose
The Coast Guard published guidelines
on December 31, 1992 (57 FR 62600), to
assist groups seeking recertification
under the Oil Terminal and Oil Tanker
Environmental Oversight and
Monitoring Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2732)
(the Act). The Coast Guard issued a
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16:53 Dec 23, 2019
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policy statement on July 7, 1993 (58 FR
36504), to clarify the factors that the
Coast Guard would be considering in
making its determination as to whether
advisory groups should be certified in
accordance with the Act, and the
procedures which the Coast Guard
would follow in meeting its certification
responsibilities under the Act. Most
recently, on September 16, 2002 (67 FR
58440), the Coast Guard changed its
policy on recertification procedures for
regional citizen’s advisory council by
requiring applicants to provide
comprehensive information every three
years. For the two years in between,
applicants only submit information
describing substantive changes to the
information provided at the last
triennial recertification. This is the year
in this triennial cycle that PWSRCAC
must provide comprehensive
information.
The Coast Guard is accepting
comments concerning the recertification
of PWSRCAC. At the conclusion of the
comment period on February 10, 2020,
the Coast Guard will review all
application materials and comments
received and will take one of the
following actions:
(a) Recertify the advisory group under
33 U.S.C. 2732(o);
(b) Issue a conditional recertification
for a period of 90 days, with a statement
of any discrepancies, which must be
corrected to qualify for recertification
for the remainder of the year; or
(c) Deny recertification of the advisory
group if the Coast Guard finds that the
group is not broadly representative of
the interests and communities in the
area or is not adequately fostering the
goals and purposes of 33 U.S.C. 2732.
The Coast Guard will notify
PWSRCAC by letter of the action taken
on its application. A notice will be
published in the Federal Register to
advise the public of the Coast Guard’s
determination.
Dated: December 18, 2019.
Melissa L. Rivera,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting
Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard
District.
[FR Doc. 2019–27772 Filed 12–23–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
[CBP Dec. 19–13]
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative:
Designation of an Approved Native
American Tribal Card Issued by the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community as
an Acceptable Document To Denote
Identity and Citizenship for Entry in the
United States at Land and Sea Ports of
Entry
U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
This notice announces that
the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection is designating an
approved Native American tribal card
issued by the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community to U.S. citizen tribal
members as an acceptable travel
document for purposes of the Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The
approved card may be used to denote
identity and citizenship of Swinomish
Indian Tribal Community members
entering the United States from
contiguous territory or adjacent islands
at land and sea ports of entry.
DATES: This designation will become
effective on December 26, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Colleen Manaher, Executive Director,
Planning, Program Analysis, and
Evaluation, Office of Field Operations,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, via
email at Colleen.M.Manaher@
cbp.dhs.gov or 202–344–3003.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
The Western Hemisphere Travel
Initiative
Section 7209 of the Intelligence
Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of
2004 (IRTPA), Public Law 108–458, as
amended, required the Secretary of
Homeland Security (Secretary), in
consultation with the Secretary of State,
to develop and implement a plan to
require U.S. citizens and individuals for
whom documentation requirements
have previously been waived under
section 212(d)(4)(B) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(d)(4)(B)) to present a passport or
other document or combination of
documents as the Secretary deems
sufficient to denote identity and
citizenship for all travel into the United
States. See 8 U.S.C. 1185 note. On April
3, 2008, the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and the Department of
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26DEN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2019 / Notices
State promulgated a joint final rule,
effective on June 1, 2009, that
implemented the plan known as the
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
(WHTI) at U.S. land and sea ports of
entry. See 73 FR 18384 (the WHTI Land
and Sea Final Rule). It amended various
sections of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), including 8 CFR
212.0, 212.1, and 235.1. The WHTI Land
and Sea Final Rule specifies the
documents that U.S. citizens and
nonimmigrant aliens from Canada,
Bermuda, and Mexico are required to
present when entering the United States
at land and sea ports of entry.
Under the WHTI Land and Sea Final
Rule, one type of citizenship and
identity document that may be
presented upon entry to the United
States at land and sea ports of entry
from contiguous territory or adjacent
islands 1 is a Native American tribal
card that has been designated as an
acceptable document to denote identity
and citizenship by the Secretary,
pursuant to section 7209 of IRTPA.
Specifically, 8 CFR 235.1(e), as
amended by the WHTI Land and Sea
Final Rule, provides that upon
designation by the Secretary of
Homeland Security of a United States
qualifying tribal entity document as an
acceptable document to denote identity
and citizenship for the purposes of
entering the United States, Native
Americans may be permitted to present
tribal cards upon entering or seeking
admission to the United States
according to the terms of the voluntary
agreement entered between the
Secretary of Homeland Security and the
tribe. It provides that the Secretary of
Homeland Security will announce, by
publication of a notice in the Federal
Register, documents designated under
this paragraph. It further provides that
a list of the documents designated under
this section will also be made available
to the public.
A United States qualifying tribal
entity is defined as a tribe, band, or
other group of Native Americans
formally recognized by the United
States Government which agrees to meet
WHTI document standards. See 8 CFR
212.0.2 Native American tribal cards are
also referenced in 8 CFR 235.1(b), which
lists the documents U.S. citizens may
use to establish identity and citizenship
when entering the United States. See 8
CFR 235.1(b)(7).
1 ‘‘Adjacent islands’’ is defined in 8 CFR 212.0 as
‘‘Bermuda and the islands located in the Caribbean
Sea, except Cuba.’’ This definition applies to 8 CFR
212.1 and 235.1.
2 This definition applies to 8 CFR 212.1 and
235.1.
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The Secretary has delegated to the
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) the authority to
designate certain documents as
acceptable border crossing documents
for persons arriving in the United States
by land or sea from within the Western
Hemisphere, including certain United
States Native American tribal cards. See
DHS Delegation Number 7105 (Revision
00), dated January 16, 2009.
Tribal Card Program
The WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule
allowed U.S. federally recognized
Native American tribes to work with
CBP to enter into agreements to develop
tribal ID cards that can be designated as
acceptable to establish identity and
citizenship when entering the United
States at land and sea ports of entry
from contiguous territory or adjacent
islands. CBP has been working with
various U.S. federally recognized Native
American tribes to facilitate the
development of such cards.3 As part of
the process, CBP will enter into one or
more agreements with a U.S. federally
recognized tribe that specify the
requirements for developing and issuing
WHTI-compliant Native American tribal
cards, including a testing and auditing
process to ensure that the cards are
produced and issued in accordance with
the terms of the agreements.
After production of the cards in
accordance with the specified
requirements, and successful testing and
auditing by CBP of the cards and
program, the Secretary of Homeland
Security or the Commissioner of CBP
may designate the Native American
tribal card as an acceptable WHTIcompliant document for the purpose of
establishing identity and citizenship
when entering the United States by land
or sea from contiguous territory or
adjacent islands. Such designation will
be announced by publication of a notice
in the Federal Register. More
information about WHTI-compliant
documents is available at www.cbp.gov/
travel.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona
became the first Native American tribe
to have its Native American tribal card
designated as a WHTI-compliant
document by the Commissioner of CBP.
This designation was announced in a
notice published in the Federal Register
on June 9, 2011 (76 FR 33776).
Subsequently, the Commissioner of CBP
announced the designation of several
other Native American tribal cards as
3 The Native American tribal cards qualifying to
be a WHTI-compliant document for border crossing
purposes are commonly referred to as ‘‘Enhanced
Tribal Cards’’ or ‘‘ETCs.’’
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70985
WHTI compliant documents. See, e.g.,
the Native American tribal cards of the
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, 77 FR 4822
(January 31, 2012); the Seneca Nation of
Indians, 80 FR 40076 (July 13, 2015); the
Hydaburg Cooperative Association of
Alaska, 81 FR 33686 (May 27, 2016);
and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
Indians, 82 FR 42351 (September 7,
2017).
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
WHTI-Compliant Native American
Tribal Card Program
The Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community has voluntarily established
a program to develop a WHTI-compliant
Native American tribal card that denotes
identity and U.S. citizenship. On
October 7, 2015, CBP and the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
entered into a Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) to develop, issue,
test, and evaluate tribal cards to be used
for border crossing purposes. Pursuant
to this MOA, the cards are issued to
members of the Swinomish Indian
Tribal Community who can establish
identity, tribal membership, and U.S.
citizenship. The cards incorporate
physical security features acceptable to
CBP as well as facilitative technology
allowing for electronic validation of
identity, citizenship, and tribal
membership by CBP.4
CBP has tested the cards developed by
the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community pursuant to the above MOA
and related agreements, and has
performed an audit of the tribe’s card
program. On the basis of these tests and
audit, CBP has determined that the
Native American tribal cards meet the
requirements of section 7209 of the
IRTPA and are acceptable documents to
denote identity and U.S. citizenship for
purposes of entering the United States at
land and sea ports of entry from
contiguous territory or adjacent islands.
CBP’s continued acceptance of the
Native American tribal card as a WHTIcompliant document is conditional on
compliance with the MOA and related
agreements.
Acceptance and use of the WHTIcompliant Native American tribal card
4 Beginning in 2016, CBP and the Swinomish
Indian Tribal Community entered into additional
agreements related to the MOA. CBP and the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community entered into
a Service Level Agreement (SLA) on September 14,
2016, concerning technical requirements and
support for the production, issuance, and
verification of the Native American tribal cards.
CBP and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
also entered into an Interconnection Security
Agreement on March 15, 2017, with respect to
individual and organizational security
responsibilities for the protection and handling of
unclassified information.
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70986
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2019 / Notices
is voluntary for tribe members. If an
individual is denied a WHTI-compliant
Native American tribal card, he or she
may still apply for a passport or other
WHTI-compliant document.
Designation
This notice announces that the
Commissioner of CBP designates the
Native American tribal card issued by
the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community in accordance with the
MOA and related agreements as an
acceptable WHTI-compliant document
pursuant to section 7209 of the IRTPA
and 8 CFR 235.1(e). In accordance with
these provisions, the approved card, if
valid and lawfully obtained, may be
used to denote identity and U.S.
citizenship of Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community members for the purposes
of entering the United States from
contiguous territory or adjacent islands
at land and sea ports of entry.
Dated: December 17, 2019.
Mark A. Morgan,
Acting Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2019–27721 Filed 12–23–19; 8:45 am]
A. Overview of Information Collection
BILLING CODE 9111–14–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR–7015–N–11]
60-Day Notice of Proposed Information
Collection: Application for Resident
Opportunity & Self Sufficiency (ROSS)
Grant Forms
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Public and Indian Housing
(PIH), HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
HUD is seeking approval from
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for the information collection
described below. In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is
requesting comment from all interested
parties on the proposed collection of
information. The purpose of this notice
is to allow for 60 days of public
comment.
SUMMARY:
Comments Due Date: February
24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal. Comments should refer to
the proposal by name and/or OMB
Control Number and should be sent to:
Colette Pollard, Reports Management
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing
and Urban Development, 451 7th Street
SW, Room 4176, Washington, DC
20410–5000; telephone 202–402–3400
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DATES:
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16:53 Dec 23, 2019
Jkt 250001
(this is not a toll-free number) or email
at Colette.Pollard@hud.gov for a copy of
the proposed forms or other available
information. Persons with hearing or
speech impairments may access this
number through TTY by calling the tollfree Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–
8339.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Dawn Smith, Office of Policy, Programs
and Legislative Initiatives, PIH,
Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 451 7th Street SW,
(L’Enfant Plaza, Room 2206),
Washington, DC 20410; telephone 202–
402–6488, (this is not a toll-free
number). Persons with hearing or
speech impairments may access this
number via TTY by calling the Federal
Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. Copies
of available documents submitted to
OMB may be obtained from Ms. Smith.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice informs the public that HUD is
seeking approval from OMB for the
information collection described in
Section A.
Title of Information Collection:
Application for the Resident
Opportunities and Self Sufficiency
(ROSS) Program.
OMB Approval Number: 2577–0229.
Type of Request: Reinstatement,
without change, of previously approved
collection.
Form Number: ROSS Grant
Application forms: HUD 52752; HUD
52753; HUD–52755; HUD–57268; SF–
424; HUD–2880; HUD–2990; HUD–
2991; SF–LLL, HUD–2993, HUD–2994–
A.
The Department is submitting this
PRA request in order to reinstate,
without change, a previously approved
collection that has an upcoming PRA
expiration date.
Description of the need for the
information and proposed use: The
forms are used to evaluate capacity and
eligibility of applicants to the ROSS
program.
Respondents (i.e., affected public):
Public Housing Authorities, tribes/
TDHEs, public housing resident
associations, and nonprofit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
350.
Estimated Number of Responses: 350.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Hours per Response: 5 hours.
Total Estimated Burdens: 1,907 hours.
B. Solicitation of Public Comment
This notice is soliciting comments
from members of the public and affected
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parties concerning the collection of
information described in Section A on
the following:
(1) Whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond; including through
the use of appropriate automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
HUD encourages interested parties to
submit comment in response to these
questions.
C. Authority
Section 3507 of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35.
Dated: December 13, 2019.
Nora McArdle,
Senior Policy Analyst, Office of Policy,
Programs and Legislative Initiatives.
[FR Doc. 2019–27840 Filed 12–23–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR–7015–N–10]
60-Day Notice of Proposed Information
Collection: Project Based Vouchers
(PBV) Online Form
Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Public and Indian
Housing, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
HUD is seeking approval from
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for the information collection
described below. In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is
requesting comment from all interested
parties on the proposed collection of
information. The purpose of this notice
is to allow for 60 days of public
comment.
DATES: Comments Due: February 24,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal. Comments should refer to
the proposal by name and/or OMB
Control Number and should be sent to:
Colette Pollard, Reports Management
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 247 (Thursday, December 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70984-70986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27721]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
[CBP Dec. 19-13]
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative: Designation of an Approved
Native American Tribal Card Issued by the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community as an Acceptable Document To Denote Identity and Citizenship
for Entry in the United States at Land and Sea Ports of Entry
AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Commissioner of U.S. Customs
and Border Protection is designating an approved Native American tribal
card issued by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community to U.S. citizen
tribal members as an acceptable travel document for purposes of the
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The approved card may be used to
denote identity and citizenship of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
members entering the United States from contiguous territory or
adjacent islands at land and sea ports of entry.
DATES: This designation will become effective on December 26, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colleen Manaher, Executive Director,
Planning, Program Analysis, and Evaluation, Office of Field Operations,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, via email at
[email protected] or 202-344-3003.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Section 7209 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention
Act of 2004 (IRTPA), Public Law 108-458, as amended, required the
Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), in consultation with the
Secretary of State, to develop and implement a plan to require U.S.
citizens and individuals for whom documentation requirements have
previously been waived under section 212(d)(4)(B) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(4)(B)) to present a passport or
other document or combination of documents as the Secretary deems
sufficient to denote identity and citizenship for all travel into the
United States. See 8 U.S.C. 1185 note. On April 3, 2008, the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of
[[Page 70985]]
State promulgated a joint final rule, effective on June 1, 2009, that
implemented the plan known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
(WHTI) at U.S. land and sea ports of entry. See 73 FR 18384 (the WHTI
Land and Sea Final Rule). It amended various sections of the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), including 8 CFR 212.0, 212.1, and 235.1. The
WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule specifies the documents that U.S. citizens
and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico are required
to present when entering the United States at land and sea ports of
entry.
Under the WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule, one type of citizenship and
identity document that may be presented upon entry to the United States
at land and sea ports of entry from contiguous territory or adjacent
islands \1\ is a Native American tribal card that has been designated
as an acceptable document to denote identity and citizenship by the
Secretary, pursuant to section 7209 of IRTPA. Specifically, 8 CFR
235.1(e), as amended by the WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule, provides that
upon designation by the Secretary of Homeland Security of a United
States qualifying tribal entity document as an acceptable document to
denote identity and citizenship for the purposes of entering the United
States, Native Americans may be permitted to present tribal cards upon
entering or seeking admission to the United States according to the
terms of the voluntary agreement entered between the Secretary of
Homeland Security and the tribe. It provides that the Secretary of
Homeland Security will announce, by publication of a notice in the
Federal Register, documents designated under this paragraph. It further
provides that a list of the documents designated under this section
will also be made available to the public.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Adjacent islands'' is defined in 8 CFR 212.0 as ``Bermuda
and the islands located in the Caribbean Sea, except Cuba.'' This
definition applies to 8 CFR 212.1 and 235.1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A United States qualifying tribal entity is defined as a tribe,
band, or other group of Native Americans formally recognized by the
United States Government which agrees to meet WHTI document standards.
See 8 CFR 212.0.\2\ Native American tribal cards are also referenced in
8 CFR 235.1(b), which lists the documents U.S. citizens may use to
establish identity and citizenship when entering the United States. See
8 CFR 235.1(b)(7).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ This definition applies to 8 CFR 212.1 and 235.1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secretary has delegated to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) the authority to designate certain documents as
acceptable border crossing documents for persons arriving in the United
States by land or sea from within the Western Hemisphere, including
certain United States Native American tribal cards. See DHS Delegation
Number 7105 (Revision 00), dated January 16, 2009.
Tribal Card Program
The WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule allowed U.S. federally recognized
Native American tribes to work with CBP to enter into agreements to
develop tribal ID cards that can be designated as acceptable to
establish identity and citizenship when entering the United States at
land and sea ports of entry from contiguous territory or adjacent
islands. CBP has been working with various U.S. federally recognized
Native American tribes to facilitate the development of such cards.\3\
As part of the process, CBP will enter into one or more agreements with
a U.S. federally recognized tribe that specify the requirements for
developing and issuing WHTI-compliant Native American tribal cards,
including a testing and auditing process to ensure that the cards are
produced and issued in accordance with the terms of the agreements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Native American tribal cards qualifying to be a WHTI-
compliant document for border crossing purposes are commonly
referred to as ``Enhanced Tribal Cards'' or ``ETCs.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After production of the cards in accordance with the specified
requirements, and successful testing and auditing by CBP of the cards
and program, the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Commissioner of
CBP may designate the Native American tribal card as an acceptable
WHTI-compliant document for the purpose of establishing identity and
citizenship when entering the United States by land or sea from
contiguous territory or adjacent islands. Such designation will be
announced by publication of a notice in the Federal Register. More
information about WHTI-compliant documents is available at www.cbp.gov/travel.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona became the first Native American
tribe to have its Native American tribal card designated as a WHTI-
compliant document by the Commissioner of CBP. This designation was
announced in a notice published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2011
(76 FR 33776). Subsequently, the Commissioner of CBP announced the
designation of several other Native American tribal cards as WHTI
compliant documents. See, e.g., the Native American tribal cards of the
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, 77 FR 4822 (January 31, 2012); the Seneca
Nation of Indians, 80 FR 40076 (July 13, 2015); the Hydaburg
Cooperative Association of Alaska, 81 FR 33686 (May 27, 2016); and the
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, 82 FR 42351 (September 7, 2017).
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community WHTI-Compliant Native American Tribal
Card Program
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has voluntarily established a
program to develop a WHTI-compliant Native American tribal card that
denotes identity and U.S. citizenship. On October 7, 2015, CBP and the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community entered into a Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) to develop, issue, test, and evaluate tribal cards to
be used for border crossing purposes. Pursuant to this MOA, the cards
are issued to members of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community who can
establish identity, tribal membership, and U.S. citizenship. The cards
incorporate physical security features acceptable to CBP as well as
facilitative technology allowing for electronic validation of identity,
citizenship, and tribal membership by CBP.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Beginning in 2016, CBP and the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community entered into additional agreements related to the MOA. CBP
and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community entered into a Service
Level Agreement (SLA) on September 14, 2016, concerning technical
requirements and support for the production, issuance, and
verification of the Native American tribal cards. CBP and the
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community also entered into an
Interconnection Security Agreement on March 15, 2017, with respect
to individual and organizational security responsibilities for the
protection and handling of unclassified information.
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CBP has tested the cards developed by the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community pursuant to the above MOA and related agreements, and has
performed an audit of the tribe's card program. On the basis of these
tests and audit, CBP has determined that the Native American tribal
cards meet the requirements of section 7209 of the IRTPA and are
acceptable documents to denote identity and U.S. citizenship for
purposes of entering the United States at land and sea ports of entry
from contiguous territory or adjacent islands. CBP's continued
acceptance of the Native American tribal card as a WHTI-compliant
document is conditional on compliance with the MOA and related
agreements.
Acceptance and use of the WHTI-compliant Native American tribal
card
[[Page 70986]]
is voluntary for tribe members. If an individual is denied a WHTI-
compliant Native American tribal card, he or she may still apply for a
passport or other WHTI-compliant document.
Designation
This notice announces that the Commissioner of CBP designates the
Native American tribal card issued by the Swinomish Indian Tribal
Community in accordance with the MOA and related agreements as an
acceptable WHTI-compliant document pursuant to section 7209 of the
IRTPA and 8 CFR 235.1(e). In accordance with these provisions, the
approved card, if valid and lawfully obtained, may be used to denote
identity and U.S. citizenship of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
members for the purposes of entering the United States from contiguous
territory or adjacent islands at land and sea ports of entry.
Dated: December 17, 2019.
Mark A. Morgan,
Acting Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2019-27721 Filed 12-23-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P
