U.s. congressman Rodney davis proudly representing the 13th district of illinois

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) tonight released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 158, the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act by a bipartisan vote of 407-19. H.R. 158 requires dual nationals and individuals who have traveled since March 2011 to countries of concern and State Sponsors of Terrorism – including Iraq, Syria, and Iran – to obtain a visa before coming to the U.S. This is the second bill passed by the House to responsibly prevent terrorists from entering the U.S.

“The fundamental role of government is to protect the people it represents and Americans deserve to know that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe,” said Davis. “This bill helps prevent terrorists from being able to travel to the U.S. by securing the visa waiver program. The House will continue to pass laws to responsibly strengthen our national security but only our commander in chief can provide the leadership necessary to destroy ISIS. We need a comprehensive strategy to defeat these terrorists who seek to harm Americans.”

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows more than 20 million people annually from 38 participating countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, to more easily travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days. Instead of going to a U.S. consulate or embassy, citizens of participating countries must provide detailed background information that is then screened against U.S. security systems. But many of these countries fail to provide critical information needed to ensure those traveling under the VWP are not a threat.

It is estimated that approximately 5,000 Europeans have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS, many are from countries that participate in the VWP. In order to address these vulnerabilities, H.R. 158 makes the following changes to the VWP:

• Gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to suspend a country’s participation in the program if they fail to share counterterrorism information with the U.S.
• Denies Visa Waiver Program status to those citizens from participating countries that have traveled to certain terrorist hotspots since 2011
• Requires all Visa Waiver Program countries use fraud resistant “e-passports”
• Allows for the suspension of high-risk countries

Last month, the House passed the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act to ensure comprehensive background checks are conducted on every Syrian and Iraqi refugee seeking admittance into the U.S. The SAFE Act requires the FBI director to certify the background investigation of each refugee and then the secretary of homeland security, the FBI director, and the director of national intelligence must all certify to Congress that each refugee is not a security threat before they can be admitted to the U.S.