http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/04/26/caribbean.travel.ap/index.html

The short story is that article says:
"Americans returning from the Carribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America must show passports, starting December 31"

I don't know if this applies to Bonaire. I'll bet that it does but I hope not. Personally, I always brought my Passport.

Meanwhile, you still don't need a passport for Canada or Mexico. Hardly seems fair.

From what I've read and heard, Mexico and Canada will require passports in a few years. I think it's just easier to have one.

I don't understand why anyone in their right mind would travel outside the country without a passport in the first place.

Aside from that we can thank the politicians for this new requirement. In their desperation to get the "illegal alien" vote they made drivers licenses useless as proof of citizenship when they started giving them to non-U.S. citizens.

Geoffrey, I posted this a couple weeks ago when they made the announcement...

New Travel Requirements

It is from the government site with all of the specifics...

I can't believe in this new world after 9/11 that American Citizen Passports are not needed now. With mag strips and barcodes they should reduce immigration queues - let alone the security aspects.

Brian, I'm with you on that one. The killer is that passports will not be required between Mexico and Canada until Dec 31 2006!