Visa Waiver Program Improvement Terrorist Travel Prevention Act

Visa Waiver Program Improvement & Terrorist Travel Prevention Act December 2015

Visa Waiver Program Improvement & Terrorist Travel Prevention Act What is the Visa Waiver Program? • Established in 1986 as an economic program; provides positive impact on the U. S. economy through increased trade and tourism • Grown to 38 countries; their citizens can travel to U. S. without a visa or in person consular interview, for up to 90 days, but are still given background security checks • In return, U. S. citizens get to travel to those countries visa-free • In 2007, DHS implemented the Electronic System for Travel Authorization to provide a security screening to reflect the national security needs in a post 9/11 world, but more needs to be done December 2015

Visa Waiver Program Improvement & Terrorist Travel Prevention Act • Some VWP countries are not sharing counterterrorism info regularly or quickly Visa Waiver Program Problems o There is no substitute for information sharing • After several of the most recent terror attacks in Europe, EU Law Enforcement officials provided names to the U. S. Intelligence community that were not known to us. "For terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons. " — 9/11 Commission • ~5, 000 Europeans have gone to fight in Syria/Iraq— most are from VWP countries which allows them easier entry to the U. S. …. “we need to move from a need to know to a need to share” — 9/11 Commission • Not every VWP country issues all of its citizens secure “e-passports” which include a digital copy of the photograph on a passport and authentication information. December 2015 • Many VWP countries do not screen travelers thoroughly against INTERPOL terrorism and criminal databases

Visa Waiver Program Improvement & Terrorist Travel Prevention Act • First introduced on September 15, 2014 Committee Action • Re-introduced on January 6, 2015 • Subject of several oversight hearings Ø Two before the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee Ø Two before the Judiciary Committee Ø One before the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee • Approved unanimously by the Homeland Security Committee on June 25, 2015 • Incorporates recommendations from the Committee on Homeland Security’s bipartisan Foreign Fighter Task Force December 2015

Visa Waiver Program Improvement & Terrorist Travel Prevention Act • Terminates VWP countries if they fail to share counterterrorism information The Solution Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act • Terminates VWP countries if they fail to screen travelers against INTERPOL criminal and terrorism databases • Denies VWP status to individuals who have traveled to certain terrorist hotspots including Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Iran since 2011 or have dual-nationality in such countries • Requires all VWP countries to issue biometric “epassports” to all of their citizens • Requires annual threat assessments of high-risk VWP countries bases on foreign fighter flow, visa denials, terror database matches. • Allows the DHS Secretary to suspend high-risk countries from the program until the threat has passed. December 2015