U.S. Tightens Visa-Waiver Program in Bid to Deter Militants
- 8 years ago
The White House announced changes Monday to the government's visa-waiver program to try to stop those who have visited conflict zones from easily boarding American-bound commercial flights, a move intended to prevent an attack in the United States similar to the ones that struck Paris.
But the new measures - which include potentially higher fines for airlines that fail to verify their passengers' identities and increased information-sharing between countries - are limited, and White House officials acknowledged that they would need Congress to pass legislation to further tighten controls.
The visa-waiver program - a special travel arrangement to ease the flow of European tourists and other visitors from friendly countries - poses a far greater threat to national security than the Obama administration's highly criticized plan to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees to enter the country, according to law enforcement experts and officials.
But the new measures - which include potentially higher fines for airlines that fail to verify their passengers' identities and increased information-sharing between countries - are limited, and White House officials acknowledged that they would need Congress to pass legislation to further tighten controls.
The visa-waiver program - a special travel arrangement to ease the flow of European tourists and other visitors from friendly countries - poses a far greater threat to national security than the Obama administration's highly criticized plan to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees to enter the country, according to law enforcement experts and officials.