JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REPORT CITICIZES VISA WAIVER PILOT PROGRAM

The Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP) has come under fire in an internal report from the Department of Justice. The VWPP allows nationals from 26 different countries to enter the US for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. The program was begun in 1988 and was intended to cut down on paperwork involved in admitting tourists from certain countries. Qualifying countries must have a low rate of visa denial, and the individual themselves must be deemed unlikely to violate the terms of entry or otherwise be a security risk.

Apparently the program has caused an increase in passport theft in countries that are part of the VWPP. Criminals and others intending to commit crimes in the US find it easier to enter the US without inspection at the border under the VWPP. Also, because entry does not require a visa, consular officers do not screen applicants before their arrival, shifting that burden to inspectors at ports of entry. These inspectors have to process about one person per minute, making accurate decision-making haphazard.

One recommendation made by the Justice Department is that the INS should build and maintain a database listing all stolen passports from countries participating in the VWPP so that inspectors could check the numbers on passports of those seeking to enter against it. This system, if it could be implemented, might have a beneficial effect. Of 1067 passports reported stolen during 1997 by VWPP countries, 4% matched passports of those granted entry to the US under the VWPP.

The INS agrees with much of the Justice Department report, but cites some factors in the program that are beyond its control.. for example, the State Department nominates countries for participation in the program, and the foreign countries are responsible for safeguarding their passports and reporting them stolen.

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