Obama tightens visa waiver program after Paris attacks

Even before the self-proclaimed Islamic State attacked Paris on November 13, the administration stepped up the program’s security protocols.

The new policies will include capturing more information about whether people attempting to travel via the visa waiver program had previously traveled to certain countries with terrorist presence, according to the White House.

Members of Congress and the Obama administration have signalled plans to overhaul a visa waiver programme that allows visa-free travel to the United States.

The White House announced changes Monday to a program waiving visas for some tourists after this month’s deadly attacks in Paris raised fresh concerns about foreign radicals coming to the United States.

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White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the new security measures will “enhance our security without undermining the worldwide connections that are critical to the strength of our economy”.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, the Department of Homeland Security is announcing what it’s calling significant security measures in its Visa Waiver Program.

Among the changes sought by Republicans is a requirement for all countries to issue electronic passports and for all passengers to be screened against a database of lost and stolen passports, Mr McCarthy said.

It suggested that Congress act to increase fines for airlines that don’t verify a traveler’s passport information and also work to boost the sharing of information with foreign agencies.

By contrast, the number of Syrian refugees entering the U.S.is much smaller, numbering fewer than 2,500. Most of the people believed to have been involved in the Paris attacks were citizens of either France or Belgium – both countries on the visa waiver program list.

More than half of the nation’s governors have also said they are no longer willing to take in refugees from Syria and Iraq. As President Obama prepares to allow 10,000 Syrian refugees to resettle in the US over the next year, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are scrambling to pass legislation to improve the program, notes NPR. The White House has already said President Barack Obama will veto the bill if it reaches his desk.