The chamber voted 407-19 in favor of the legislation, with all of those voting “no” being Democrats.
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House lawmakers passed legislation Tuesday tightening controls on visa-free traveling and requiring visas for anybody who has been in the last five years in Syria or Iraq.
The Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) is available to citizens of 38 countries, largely United States allies and relatively stable developed democracies.
While the Obama administration has resisted attempts by Congress to slow down the Syrian refugee program, they have appeared to find some common ground when it comes to increasing the security of our visa waiver process. “The current Visa Waiver Program contains a number of security gaps we address with this legislation”.
Members of the US House of Representatives have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill that would restrict entry for those who have been to Iraq, Syria, Sudan or Iran since March 2011.
To take effect, the changes must be approved by the Senate and President Barack Obama.
The White House has expressed support for tightening the visa waiver program.
“Many terrorist recruits and sympathizers who traveled to join ISIS have passports from countries that receive visa waivers and do not now need a visa to enter the United States”, said Thornberry. Exceptions are made for official authorities visits & military service.
Under the program, citizens from 38 countries can visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa.
– Enhancing screening of all travelers in Visa Waiver countries.
“Keeping the American people safe remains the House’s top priority”, he said in a statement.
They will also be required to issue e-passports with biometric information – a caveat which the travel industry has said is a step too far as it is expensive. This new bill would authorize the Department of Homeland Security to terminate any country’s participation if it doesn’t communicate with the US.
The visa waiver program was launched in the 1980s as a way of boosting business travel and tourism to the United States and hundreds of millions of people have taken advantage of the initiative.
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Because of the bipartisan support in the House, chances are greater it could be included in the omnibus spending package lawmakers are working to complete before a possible government shutdown on Friday. If they don’t they would be kicked out of the visa waiver program. The other changes focus on improving communication with other countries about travelers who could pose a risk, and increasing and improving the technology used to screen passengers.
