House tightens rules on visa-free travel

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Driven by the Paris terror attacks, the House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to tighten controls on travel to the U.S. and require visas for anyone who’s been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years.

The legislation takes aim at the “visa waiver” program that allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. for stays of 90 days and less without first obtaining a visa from an embassy or consulate. Belgium and France, home to most of the perpetrators of last month’s Paris attacks, are among the participating countries.

The bill, which passed 407-19, would institute a series of changes, including the new visa requirement for citizens of Iraq, Syria and any other country deemed a terrorist hot spot, along with anyone who’s traveled to those countries in the previous five years. Exceptions are made for official government visits and military service.

Countries in the visa- waiver program also would be required to share counterterror information with the U.S. or face expulsion from the program. All travelers would be checked against Interpol databases, and visa-waiver countries would be required to issue “e-passports” with biometric information.

“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. “Those are gaps that we need to fix.”

Lawmakers of both parties spoke in favor of the legislation, which is also backed by the White House. It’s a rare area of bipartisan agreement after the Obama administration’s fury when the House passed legislation last month cracking down on the Syrian refugee program in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks.