In a transparent attempt to win favor with the powerful tourism industry, President Obama announced that his administration will waive consular interview requirements for people renewing U.S. Visas. He also directed his administration to expand the number of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program.

Citizens of VWP nations can enter the U.S. without obtaining a Visa in advance.  The net result of both changes – counterintuitive in a post-9/11 world – is that millions of additional people will enter the U.S. with less scrutiny.

“The changes the President is making to the Visa issuance process, without Congressional approval, weaken important safeguards against terrorism and increase the potential for more Visa over-stayers,” stated Dan Stein, president of Federation for American Immigration Reform. “The longstanding requirement for an in-person interview allows trained consular officers to identify people who might pose a threat to national security or who are likely to remain in the United States illegally.”

The proposal to significantly expand the VWP program ignores explicit warnings made by the 9/11 Commission which cited the VWP as a weakness that can be easily manipulated by terrorists. “It is exceedingly reckless to operate a Visa waiver system, much less expand it, in an age where terrorists carry many different passports.

Moreover, the U.S. still has no comprehensive system that matches the entry and exit of foreign travelers to ensure we are alerted when Visa holders stay in the country illegally,” Stein cautioned. This move by the Obama administration is the latest in a two-year campaign of unilateral policy changes designed to minimize immigration enforcement.

It is also a clear effort to appeal to business interests in an election year. The timing and location of the announcement is designed to boost the President’s sagging popularity in Florida, a state he believes he must win in November.

“President Obama claims his new initiatives will create jobs. If the President really wants to change immigration policy to expand jobs, he’d restore credibility to our immigration system by securing our border, stepping up interior enforcement, supporting mandatory E-Verify, and substantially reducing legal immigration.

That would reduce foreign competition for scarce jobs that Americans need.  And in the process, not one of those things would jeopardize national security,” Stein concluded.

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American Airlines has applauded the Obama Administration’s initiatives to increase travel and tourism to the United States and within our nation’s borders.

“The initiatives set forth and outlined today by the Obama Administration will definitely benefit all who work in the nation’s travel and tourism industry, which can only add jobs and strengthen the economy,” said Tom Horton, American’s Chairman and CEO. “President Obama is to be commended for his leadership in this effort.

“We have long advocated for enhancements to the distribution of non-immigrant visas in such important emerging markets as Brazil and China and have told the Administration that improving the process will not only allow more tourists to visit but create travel and tourism jobs in the United States. Increasing non-immigrant visa capacity in China and Brazil by 40 percent and ensuring that 80 percent of those applicants interviewed receive their visas within three weeks is a laudable goal,” said Horton.

“Additionally, the new pilot program that was announced to simplify and expedite the non-immigrant visa process for certain applicants and the opportunity for low-risk applicants to have visa interviews waived is exciting news.

“We also applaud the Administration for its initiative to expand the Visa Waiver Program to include more participants and assist more travelers through an expansion of trusted traveler programs such as the Global Entry program, which truly enhances the customer experience when passengers are able to expedite customs and immigration processing,” Horton added.

“Creating a task force to recommend ways to promote domestic and international travel opportunities for U.S. citizens and promoting visits to our nation’s parks, wildlife refuges, cultural and historic sites also will have a positive effect on the transportation industry,” said Horton.

American operates a daily flight to Beijing and Shanghai from its cornerstone hub in Chicago and a daily flight to Shanghai from Los Angeles. American also operates flights from Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and New York JFK each day to Brazil. American serves Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Salvador Bahia,Recife and Belo Horizonte in Brazil.

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Poland has been America’s historically staunch ally and fellow fighter for freedom, but despite the close ties between the two countries, the Polish are often denied entry to visit relatives in America. Citizens of every member of the EU can travel freely to the USA without a Visa except Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland. And Poland has paid her dues.

After World War II, and despite being a devout ally, the West conceded to the Soviets, and Poland was incorporated into the eastern bloc to be under the Kremlin yoke for the next five decades. Upon the demise of the USSR, Poland immediately became an ardent American supporter, restoring strong diplomatic relations that continue unheeded to this day.

Polish patriots seeking liberation from occupying forces of the 18th century contributed greatly to the American Revolution. “Father of the American Cavalry,” Casimir Pulaski, was given a national holiday for his prowess and saving the life of George Washington. A good friend of Thomas Jefferson, expat Taddeusz Kosciusko engineered fortifications to defend against the British. He would later leave his will toward black emancipation and education. Countless towns, bridges, parks, monuments, mountains and even a submarine have been dedicated to such Polish-American heroes of valor.

Continuing to align themselves with the West, and in effort to prove themselves militarily with NATO, Poland has greatly contributed toward America’s War on Terrorism. Poland deployed the fourth-most troops in the second Iraqi war, and currently has over 2,500 soldiers engaged in Afghanistan.

Controversially, Poland has hosted black CIA interrogation/torture sites against suspected members of Al-Qaeda. A complaint was filed by The European Court of Human Rights for failing to investigate the CIA prison. A criminal case was launched in 2008 and is still ongoing for crimes against humanity. Additionally, NATO-Poland has harassed Russia by approving American SM-3 missile bases to be built near the border with Belarus.

Even as a member of the UN, NATO and Schengen committee, Polish people must enter a costly, time consuming application process to visit America. With a sizable Polish Diaspora, many family members are denied the right to visit relative émigrés.

Poland is the only European country that avoided recent economic depression, and even rated a positive GDP growth in 2010. The majority of Polish visitors are not looking to overstay their Visas during a boom time in their home country. An enormous Polish diaspora (Polonia) exists outside her European borders. America harbors an estimated ten million citizens of Polish descent. Chicago alone has over 180,000 Polish-speaking residents.

In April of 2011, the Polish American Congress raised the issue enough to garner attention from Senator Mark Kirk who sponsored bill S. 497 and Congressman Mike Quigly wrote up the corresponding H.R. 959 to modify existing immigration restriction rates to include Poland on the Visa Waiver Program. Currently, the visa refusal rate is the standard for a nation to qualify for the VWP.

The bill seeks to replace the standard, using overstay rates as the deciding factor. Quigly testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement Dec. 7. “This is an issue of fairness and equity for a longstanding friend and partner, Poland,” said Rep. Quigley. “Expansion of the Visa Waiver Program will improve our international diplomatic relationships, create jobs, stimulate the economy and strengthen national security. It’s time to expand outdated travel standards to include our proven allies.” VWP travelers spent more than 51 billion dollars in the U.S. That spending generated 512,000 jobs, 13 billion dollars in payroll and 7.8 billion dollars in taxes for the American economy.

Obama promised to sign both bills if they pass through their respective committees. “I am going to make this a priority,” Obama said, sitting alongside Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski. “I want to solve this issue before very long. My expectation is, is that this problem will be solved during my presidency. I am well aware that this is a source of irritation between two great friends and allies, and we should resolve it.”

The USA raised the standards of visitation in the post 9-11 world, and, with more than ten-percent of Poles being denied entry for suspicion they may overstay their Visa, they become disqualified from the VWP.

Grzegorz Kostrzewa-Zorbas, a former member of the Polish foreign affairs ministry, said, “Poland feels discriminated against,” Kostrzewa-Zorbas said, “differentiated from other allies of the United States around the world.”

“Will al-Qaeda penetrate America disguised as Polish peasants? Will the job market be flooded by unqualified, culturally alien workers from Poland? Of course not,” Kostrzewa-Zorbas said.

Contact members of your state’s Committee of the Judiciary to support the bill or become co-sponsor if they are not in the committee the bill was referred to, or sign the VISA Waiver Petition.

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