US House Approves New Terrorism Screening Measures For European Travelers

The US House of Representatives, one of the two houses of the US Congress, has overwhelmingly voted in favor of tougher travel restrictions for foreign citizens allowed to enter the United States without a visa. The House bill would require passport-holders of the 38 countries to get a visa to enter the US if they have recently visited Iraq or other countries with significant terrorist activity.

“This bipartisan bill addresses key vulnerabilities in the Visa Waiver Program by implementing more stringent background checks for foreign travelers and more frequent reviews of the program’s effectiveness”, Ryan said.

Under the legislation, citizens from countries that qualify for the program would be denied visa-free entry to the US if they have visited Iraq, Syria or other countries deemed to be terror hotspots in the last five years, or if they are citizens of those countries.

The vote was delayed for a short period on the House floor, as Democrats offered procedural motions created to force a vote on Rep. Peter King’s, R-New York, measure to block gun purchases from those on the terror watch list. But a strong showing in the House could put momentum behind efforts to include visa waiver legislation in the omnibus spending package – a must-pass bill that lawmakers are now trying to finalize before the current government spending bill expires on Friday.

To prevent falsification of passports, the House legislation would require all 38 countries to issue what it calls “e-passports”, containing biometric information. This also brings to light the need to revoke passports of USA citizens who are fighting alongside ISIS. “Both bills give the Department of Homeland Security secretary the authority to take countries out of the waiver system”.

Approximately 20 million visitors take advantage of the VWP each year, which was originally introduced in 1986 as a security partnership to boost United States relations with its allies and drive tourism.

Many are in Europe, including Belgium and France, the home countries of several of the Paris attackers. But the Senate bill is different and could keep it from getting done in time.

“You have more than 5,000 individuals that have Western passports in this program that have gone to Iraq or Syria in the last five years”, said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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.