The secretary of US Homeland security, Michael Chertoff, announced that starting January 12, 2009, all vistors to the US who do not need visas will be required to register online with the government.
(Announcement here with more details)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7434374.stm
This waiver programme was initiated in 1986 to stimulate the tourism industry by " eliminating unnecessary barriers to travel ". However this has come under attack by some US lawmakers who are concerned by how easily the program allows citizens of other countries to enter the US, specifically terrorists. The new security measure set to take place, " aims to make it more difficult for [these] potential terrorists to enter the US " the article stated. The article details that citizens are required to register three days before traveling so they can be screened by the US government and that their registration will be valid for two years. Overall, citizens of 27 countries will be affected.
I recommend this article to everyone. It is great to read because it combines two issues in modern US politics, terrorism and border security. It allows the reader to see how one area of politics can affect another or even multiple other countries. The details also show the line of reasoning this area of our government took to conclude this measure was necessary for the time.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
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