Luxembourg was granted a waiver of the October 1, 2003 machine-readable passport requirement for travelers entering the US visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), joining the 21 other countries with waivers.  The waivers are valid until October 26, 2003.

There are four remaining VWP countries that did not request a waiver: Andorra, Brunei, Liechtenstein and Slovenia.  Belgium was ineligible for a waiver.

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Edwin Ramones of Bay Shore, NY has been charged with smuggling over 100 Ecuadorians into Long Island throughout the past several years.  Authorities discovered his operation, which uses boats, trucks and safe house in South and Central America, while investigating Ramones’ half-brother, Wilson Marcelo Lopez, who in December, pleaded not guilty to a charge that he headed a smuggling organization.  Ramones is being held without bail as an illegal immigrant.