Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) is pleased that the Department of Homeland Security recently added new screening requirements for travelers from countries that don’t require a visa to enter the United States.
Reacting to growing concern over threats from Western fighters returning from Syria, Homeland Security has agreed to address U.S. vulnerability from terrorists with Western passports – including those recruited by ISIS – being eligible for visa-free travel to the U.S.
“I am glad that the department is now taking these steps to expand the critical data it is collecting from foreign applicants and my committee will continue to work with the department to make certain that nations participating in the program are helping us to combat evolving threats to our homeland,” Miller, who is the chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, said.
The move to strengthen counterterrorism efforts requires travelers from 38 Visa Waiver Program countries – including most of Europe –to provide additional passport data, contact information and aliases before they can travel to the U.S.
In September, Miller introduced the Visa Waiver Improvement Act of 2014 (H.R. 5470), which would allow the secretary of Homeland Security to suspend participation of countries in the Visa Waiver Program if they do not share terrorism and foreign traveler data with the U.S.
Miller is also the vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.