Alterations to visa-waiver program

On January 22, 2016, the US Homeland Security Dept announced some alterations to the visa-waiver program. The alterations aim at making it harder for individuals to enter the United States from Europe if they have dual citizenship from Iraq, Iran, Syria and Sudan. It also affects visitors who have visited the listed countries in past five years.  Travelers from the five nations will be required to go through a more thorough regular visa application process to enter the United States. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the changes would take place immediately.  The plan provides limited exemptions for travelers to any of the four countries for military service or as diplomats.  Additional considerations could be made for individuals who have previously traveled to those countries for journalism or humanitarian reasons.  Approximately 38 nations, majority in Europe, participate in the visa-waiver program. The program allows their citizens to visit the United States without a visa for three months or less.  Approximately 20 million travelers use the program each year (Williamson, 2015).

The changes to the visa-waiver program are a result of Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015. Given that all the attackers had European citizenship, counterterrorism officials, and lawmakers fear that terrorists could take advantage of the visa-waiver program to the commit similar crimes in the United States. From previous cases, some of the travelers who pose a security threat to the nation overstay their visits. For example, the September 11 hijackers are said to have overstayed their visas.However, a report released by the Department of Homeland Security show that the number of overstays was higher for other countries not a party to the visa-waiver-program than those that are exempt under the program. The visa waiver program was established in 1988 to enhance travel between the United States and its allies.  Countries exempt under the program are required to meet outlined standards for border and aviation security. Participating countries are also expected to have in place strong laws and safeguards to prevent counterfeiting of passports. Instead of applying for a visa, citizens under the waiver program fill out special forms. Customs and Border Protection give approval before boarding a flight to the United States.

Impacts on Homeland Security landscape

Travelers under the visa-waiver program are regularly screened against intelligence databases to check for security risks or risks of terrorism. With the changes, Homeland Security will require conducting more restrictive checks than those made previously on travelers with dual citizenship from Iraq, Iran, Syria and Sudan and those who have visited the listed countries in past five years.  Individuals eligible for the visa waiver program will still be required to fill out electronic forms administered by the US Department of Homeland Security before visiting the US. The process called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) clearance lasts two years.  Under the new regulations, individuals who would have previously qualified for ESTA but have a second citizenship from the listed countries will face changes as they will need to apply for visas. It is not clear how long the process will last under the new system. The changes have tightened the visa waiver program, specifically targeting Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Syria. However, the Homeland Security reserves the right to apply exceptions on a case-by-case basis (Madani, 2016).

According to the Department of Homeland Security, 20 million people visited the U.S. in 2014 under the visa waiver program.  The Secretary of Homeland Security retains the authority to choose when to waive the new requirements on a case-by-case basis. Individuals who have traveled to the listed countries for certain business activities, humanitarian activities, government business, or as journalists might be eligible for waivers. The Department of Homeland Security will be required to conduct a review of all participant to the waiver program to establish whether they are at par with given requirements.  Such findings will probably result in additional scrutiny at border crossings for visitors from countries that the Department of Homeland Security will determine to have weaknesses in their screening processes (Peterson, 2015).

The Department of Homeland Security considers the changes as security enhancements. They serve as part of continuing assessments of the country’s security in the face of evolving challenges and threats. The changes also reflect Homelands security’s determination to stay one step ahead of threats and challenges. The Department of Homeland Security determines to make the United States more secure through the Visa Waiver Program by promoting international travel while protecting the homeland. The program leverages the efforts of maintaining national security through the use individualized pre-screening of travelers, enhanced international partnerships with intelligence services and greater information sharing and more secure passports for member countries. The changes necessitate the Department of Homeland Security to collect information from the government of the participating country under review, the Departments of State and Justice, the U.S. diplomatic mission in that country, the United States Intelligence Community, and other information sources.  Other reviews will include operational site inspections of airports, land borders, seaports, and passport making and issuance facilities in participating nations (Nixon, 2016)

Opinion

The Visa Waiver Program is more than a travel program. It has been tried and tested as a security program. The changes will serve as an element of a planned approach to protecting the United States and the traveling public. Under the Program, the United States will be able to implement stringent security measures through accords with participating nations including law enforcement, auditing the counterterrorism, aviation and travel document security standards and border control of participating nations. These agreements are likely to result in high standards for managing security and terrorism threats.  The requirement that participating nations sign information-sharing agreements with the United States regarding terrorists and serious criminals and stolen and lost passports will enhance the vetting process of individual travelers. According to Department of Homeland Security, participating nations have previously provided the United States with information on known and suspected terrorists through the information sharing arrangements (Harris et al., 2015)

The information exchange compliments the already strong information sharing between the United States and participating nation’s security services.  Moreover, participating countries will provide records of Lost Travel Document Database, which Department of Homeland Security will utilize in its daily vetting of ESTA applications.  The changes significantly strengthen Department of Homeland security’s ability to identify and disrupt the travel of terrorists, criminals, and other actors who potentially pose a threat to security. While US security measures must evolve to meet threats and risks, one-sided changes may hinder legitimate travels. The unintended consequences of the legislation may hurt the program that boosts mutual security as it could spark retaliation from participating countries. The issue is whether there is real reciprocity in this arrangement as it appears to make it more difficult for Europeans by comparison with American citizens entering Europe. Europe is scheduled to review the reciprocity of the visa-waiver program in April (Madani, 2016).

References

Harris, G., Schmidt, M. S., Herszenhorn, D. M., & Lichtblau, E. (2015, December). White House Tightens Visa-Waiver Program in a Bid to Block Militants. New York Times. p. A18.

Williamson, K. D. (2015). Discriminating Discrimination. National Review, 67(24), 16-17.

Madani, N. (2016). Visa rules imperil collaboration. Science, 351(6270), 234.

Peterson, K. (2015, November 30). Visa-Waiver Program Gets Scrutiny. Wall Street Journal (Online). p. 1.

Nixon, R. (2016, January 22). Terrorism Worries; Tighter Visa Rules for Some European Visitors. New York Times. p. A18.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in college research papers if you need a similar paper you can place your order for order research paper.