House Bill to Tighten Visa Waiver Program Overwhelmingly Passes
by Daniel McCarthy /The bill that would secure changes to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and make it more difficult for citizens of other countries to enter the United States was passed overwhelmingly by the House on Tuesday.
The House voted 407-19 to pass the bill, which would require anyone who has traveled to a country the United States considers a “terrorist safe haven," countries like Iraq and Syria, to secure a visa before entering the United States —even if they are a citizen of a country that takes part in the VWP.
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said there are more than 5,000 people who have gone to Iraq or Syria in the past five years who could conceivably enter the United States right now without any extra security checks — and “those are gaps that we need to fix.”
The bill also forces countries participating in the VWP to get a traveler’s fingerprints and photo before travel, to issue smart e-passports to travelers, and to screen travelers’ names against criminal databases.
“This will help neutralize the threat from foreign terrorists entering our country," said House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The bill will now have to be added to a year-end spending bill being finalized on Capitol Hill. A different, Senate version of the bill is also in the works and is stricter than the House's bill as it would prevent anyone who has traveled to Iraq or Syria from participating in the program for the next five years.
Some 20 million people travel to the United States each year under the program, which allows citizens from 38 countries to enter the country for 90 days or less without applying for a visa. The new bill will still allow VWP citizens to enter the country if they haven’t traveled to an area considered a “terrorist safe haven,”?or to follow the normal procedures and apply for a visa.
The program was criticized in the aftermath of the attacks on Paris, as most of the attackers would have been cleared to enter the United States without a visa under the program.
Though it is not known was kind of impact the changes will have on travel, Global Business Travel Association executive director and COO Mike McCormick released a statement on behalf of group on Tuesday, supporting the changes but also warning that "the Visa Waiver Program is needed now more than ever, and policymakers should make sure that the program remains workable, even as they make reforms."
"Without it, travel would grind to a halt, which would do nothing to make us more secure and would harm our nation’s economy," he wrote.
The USTA released a similair statement last week when the changes to the bill were being considered, writing that “the travel community is all in favor of a good-faith congressional debate about enhancements to the VWP, but if the [bill] imposes redundant, costly, inefficient protocols, it could ultimately do more harm than good."
Pic: Harsha K R