The House of Representatives – led by Republicans – voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to tighten controls on travel to the U.S. by requiring special visas for anyone who’s been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years.
But it remains to be seen whether President Barack Obama’s Democratic allies could kill the bill in the Senate.
The bill 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 would institute a series of changes, including the new visa requirement for citizens of Iraq, Syria and any other country deemed a terrorist hotspot, 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 would also 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.”
Some 20 million visitors come to the U.S. annually under the visa waiver program. And in past years, the program has been used by would-be terrorists, including “shoe bomber” Richard Reid, who boarded a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001 without a visa and attempted to set off a bomb. Zacarias Moussaoui, the “20th hijacker” from 9/11, also flew from London to Chicago with a French passport and no visa in February 2001, according to a Homeland Security Inspector General report from 2004.
The bill now heads to the Senate and an uncertain future. Previous House bills to shore up border security have met stiff opposition once they reached the Senate floor.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Again, what Trump suggests falls short…CLOSE THE BORDERS TO ALL until the government gets it act together to determine who is safe and who could harm our US Citizens. Come up with a workable plan, then open the borders and begin the vetting process. The bad guys enter from all countries!
America’s history of allowing immigrants was the need for their labor. With millions of Americans out of work and not able to find fork, we no longer need immigrants to supplement our workforce. They will simply become hundreds of thousands more unemployed in the free-be lines for food, housing, medical, and educational benefits which will cost tax payers more in taxes to support them in addition to all those whom we already support.
Seems You don’t understand if it hadn’t been for TRUMP the House
wouldn’t have voted or even caused this to pop up. This new Speaker
truly isn’t very smart you see.
Good point.
We have to start somewhere….. At least this is a beginning to get serious about this issue. When all is said and done, more will have to jump on the bandwagon. There is so much work to do!
Our country has been complacent about our borders and attitude towards an influx of those taking advantage of our weaknesses. The populace is in need of educating themselves over the dangers we are facing.
Let’s just hope that the PC crowd has not tainted the majority of Americans.
right on brother
it is too late to close our Borders ,the Killers are here already because the SOB in the Whitehouse did not do his Job ,and we have to pay the price for electing a Traitor who sold us out to those Killers
SHARIA LAW
HEY OBAMA FORGOT ABOUT THIS LAW
Islam, by law, is prohibited from US immigration
The Immigration and Nationality Act passed June 27, 1952 revised the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality for the United States. That act, which became Public Law 414, established both the law and the intent of Congress regarding the immigration of Aliens to the US and remains in effect today. Among the many issues it covers, one in particular, found in Chapter 2 Section 212, is the prohibition of entry to the US if the Alien belongs to an organization seeking to overthrow the government of the United States by “force, violence, or other unconstitutional means.” This, by its very definition, rules out Islamic immigration to the United States, but this law is being ignored by the White House.Islamic immigration to the US would be prohibited under this law because the Koran, Sharia Law and the Hadith all require complete submission to Islam, which is antithetical to the US government, the Constitution, and to the Republic. All Muslims who attest that the Koran is their life’s guiding principal subscribe to submission to Islam and its form of government. Now the political correct crowd would say that Islamists cannot be prohibited from entering the US because Islam is a religion. Whether it is a religion is immaterial because the law states that Aliens who are affiliated with any “organization” that advocates the overthrow of our government are prohibited …..Now send this to TEXAS maybe this could help…
Please send it to me and I will share it on facebook. Seem’s we have quite afew who don’t think this is a problem. [email protected]
Second paragraph of above article: But it remains to be seen whether President Barack Obama’s Democratic allies could kill the bill in the Senate
WTF? Why doesn’t he sign one of those Presidential desk decrees (sorry I forgot what’s it’s called) he’s so fond of signing when he doesn’t get his way with congress?
It matters not what the House does because the “good cop, bad cop” game played by Congress will make sure nothing is done that the liberal agenda does not want done. We have a Congress of cowards and they prove it every day.
“The bill now heads to the Senate and an uncertain future. Previous House bills to shore up border security have met stiff opposition once they reached the Senate floor.”
That’s because most of the Republican Senators (like John McCain) are RINOs. But not all of them. Demand that Republican Senators get busy on a Senate version of this bill. Senators, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are all supposed to be conservatives. Let them earn their conservative chops by getting this underway in the Senate.
The meaning of the term conservative is that they are trying to CONSERVE what we have had from the forces who would tear it down and apart. That is what this extreme flood of immigrants from the M.E. and Mexico is about. The globalists are striving to bankrupt our government and drive wages down, so that more and more of us become impoverished and dependent on the government for everything.
The international, globalist, financiers have ALWAYS been the enemies of this nation and they are no different today than they were back in the days of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. They tried to fabricate financial chains for this nation, in the form of a European-style central bank that they would own. President, Andrew Jackson knew what they were up to and fought valiantly against them. He won, in spite of their attempt at assassination (the gun jammed–thank you Lord Jesus). Later, Jackson’s dying words were, “I fought the banks”.
The internationalists tried again when Abraham Lincoln was desperate to keep the country united during the Civil War. Lincoln knew that the country could not stand, for long, if it became divided–the French and the British were very interested in getting their greedy hands back on the riches that this nation could provide. The international bankers proposed to Lincoln that he pay usurious rates to fund the war effort. (We would still be paying that debt today, had Lincoln gone for their terms.) Lincoln responded with the “greenback dollar” instead of going for their high interest loans. For that, he paid with his life–but the nation stood.
Then the international bankers punished the nation with one financial upheaval after another until they finally, with a bit of chicanery, managed to buy enough support among certain members of Congress to get their hands on our financial throats in the passage of the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Reserve is neither federal (it is a private entity that is owned by its member banks) and it has no real reserves (it loans money into existence) in spite of the Constitution that says only Congress has the ability to create money for the nation. Every dollar that is “loaned” into existence carries the “Federal Reserve note” designation. Virtually 100% of our national debt has been incurred since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913. We could have created the money ourselves, debt-free, trusting that this nation’s incredible and constantly growing productivity would justify every government expenditure.
And now the globalists are once again threatening our country. Will we let them or will we demand that our Congress act to protect this nation?
Lame – the wording is not strong enough, as usual. This is not a lockdown. It’s myopically focused only visas for those from iraq and syria. Meanwhile, the tsunami will continue.
What matters here , is that all the back ground checks, “vetting” bio metric crap isn’t going to STOP people from doing dirty deeds. lIKE LAW INFORCEMENT, THESE ARE ALL AFTER THE FACT, AMERICAN LAWS DON’T PROVIDE PREVENTION. THE ANSWER , TO ME, IS TO STOP FLOODING THE COUNTRY WITH IGNORANT IMMIGRANTS!!, ONE STEP FURTHER IS TO KICK OUT THE WORTHLESS ONES ALREADY HERE. I.E. MEXICANS WHO HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER EXCEPT VIOLENCE AGAINST TRUE AMERICANS. AND HUGE STRAIN ON WELFARE DEBT. NONE OF THIS WILL TAKE PLACE, BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT WANTS TO PROTECT THE CASH FROM TOURISUM.
Does this sound much like what Trump was suggesting? Great work Mr. Trump. Keep giving them suggestions. I hope the G.O.P. in power give you the credit for this first step in the right direction. In many visa applications, you are requested to state not only your faith, but your parents’ faith as well. India and Burma come to mind to me right at this moment. So why not us? I always suggested America should have visitors complete Visas as added income, keep us alerted as to what tourists areas to improve due to their popularity, and keep us a little safer by knowing who is coming onto our soils. I also think it is high time to remove the plaque on the statue about “give us your tired, your hungry, your poor.” as we have plenty of our own to give a hand to.
Does this sound much like what Trump was suggesting? Great work Mr. Trump. Keep giving them suggestions. I hope the G.O.P. in power give you the credit for this first step in the right direction. In many visa applications, you are requested to state not only your faith, but your parents’ faith as well. India and Burma come to mind to me right at this moment. So why not us? I always suggested America should have visitors complete Visas as added income, keep us alerted as to what tourists areas to improve due to their popularity, and keep us a little safer by knowing who is coming onto our soils. I also think it is high time to remove the plaque on the statue of liberty about “give us your tired, your hungry, your poor.” as we have plenty of our own to give a hand to.
If the Democrats manage to kill a bill that would protect this country, each congressman or woman should be fired by his/her state during the next election, like last time. There will be more trouble and more deaths before the end of 2016, and they should be held responsible.
It’s about time. They should have done this 7 years ago when obama opened the border for anyone to come in and promised them that if they made it here they can stay. We can see how well that worked.
Uhh, isn’t this what Trump said to do?
Apparently they don’t speak English!!!
Need equip to rig Temporary fences until get Permenent fence on border alone
& send in ICE teams to scout out illegals & post 800# ph for Bounty on illegal felons alone.
Then C changes come.
I live in Texas and believe me we have been fighting the hard fight for a long time. We have some of the most awesome gun boats down on the rio grande and those boys aren’t afraid to us the. In January we will be able to open carry our weapons and that we will be nice. We have conceled carry and it would amaze you how many people have guns on their person ant any time.Day or night. We also now on the border we have the militia who is helping the border guards stop and finger print take their pictures and sign the registar when they get caught. At least we are trying to do what we can. We are also one of the States that said that we will not take any migrants from syria.
Entry into the United States is not a human right, it is a privilege. We should determine who gets the privilege.
This is a total joke! The House thinks the American public are complete fools. If anyone wants to come into this country all they have to do is have the ambition to walk across the boarder.
They refused to secure the boarder like we were told they were going to do. Who needs a Pass Port?
I was reading that 16,000 ships enter the ports of the USA from all over the world including the Middle East and only 3 per cent are inspected. It seems like they are forgetting the 97 per cent of the ships that come in.