admin
WASHINGTON. — US lawmakers, on edge after the Paris attacks launched by French and Belgian jihadists, are calling into question a programme that allows Europeans to travel to America without a visa.
Members of Congress, including in President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party, have vowed to close loopholes, introducing legislation on Thursday aimed at preventing Islamic State extremists from slipping into the United States.
Following deadly attacks against satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo last January in Paris, US lawmakers grew increasingly concerned about the travel freedoms afforded to nationals of 38 countries, including 23 in the European Union, plus Australia, Chile, Japan, Norway, Singapore and others.
The agreements, which date back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, allow them to travel visa-free to the United States for up to 90 days.
Some 20 million people took advantage of the programme in 2013, according to the Department of Homeland Security, about one third of all temporary US visits. — AFP.
Online Reporter