This week the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs issued a notice cautioning Canadian citizens who were born in countries the US has targeted for anti terrorism efforts from traveling to the US. A spokesperson for the Department says that a US rule, implemented a year after the terrorist attacks, which targets people for tracking based on the country of their birth rather than current citizenship is discriminatory. Canada has also indicated that inclusion of its citizens in the tracking program a slight.

Under the rule, which created the National Security Entry Exit Registration System, all nonimmigrants born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, or Syria, or holding citizenship in one of those countries, are subject to special registration requirements. INS inspectors can also require anyone else to submit to the special registration procedures if the inspector believes it would be prudent to do so.

A dual citizen of Canada and Syria was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport on his way to Canada from a vacation in North Africa in September. Maher Arar was eventually deported to Syria. Canadian officials say that he should have been deported to Canada, which was clearly his place of residence. 

According to the US State Department, the US and a number of other countries, including Canada, are conducting talks on how to treat people with two passports, or a person with one passport that lists a country of concern as the country of birth.