World

USA Tightens Screws on Tourists

by AlvarezGalloso | January 13, 2009 at 05:26 am

222 views | 26 Recommendations | 9 comments

The USA has just approved a new rule governing tourism in the country. Under the new guidelines, travelers under the Visa Waiver Program risk being detained at airports and deported if they are noncompliant with the new system. The new system has an onimous name called ESTA [Electronic System for Traveler Authorization]. The new system [ESTA] mandates that the visitors from countries under the Visa Waiver Program must register online three days before departure. The Visa Waiver Program includes Australia, certain European Countries, and Japan. While its defenders have said that such a measure is needed to protect the country from a "terrorist threat", others have talked about the infringement of rights that exist in America. I tend to agree that such a requirement will make people think twice before visiting or investing in America. When the laws against terrorism went into effect in America, many businesses just simply stopped investing in America and have gone to greener pastures in other countries such as China, Vietnam, and Central Europe [Czech Republic, Poland, and the Baltic States]. I disagree with the law since the laws regarding border issues are contradictory. On the one hand, there is a requirement for Tourists and Potential Immigrants. On the other hand, there are two people whose names are Ramos and Compean who have been illegally punished for enforcing the rules governing immigration and border issues in America. Bush has refused to grant them pardons but pardoned others who have committed crimes such as counterfeiting and transporting illegal aliens. Whatever intention ESTA may have, it will make people think twice before investing in or visiting America.

http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=1799910#commenttitle

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/12/esta.visa.waiver/index.html?iref=newssearch

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html?_flowExecutionKey=_c31B947A5-60CD-82D5-6F2A-CED820F898B1_kFDFF9955-D0C7-8CAD-1887-DD48557AC18E

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lefty_liberated

at 08:05 on January 13th, 2009

Well that's just fair since they've been screwing everyone else too ;)

AlvarezGalloso

at 12:18 on January 13th, 2009

Thanks for your comments.

Rachel Nixon

at 10:44 on January 13th, 2009

I'm a British citizen and when I last went to the US a few months back, I completed the ESTA on a voluntary basis, thinking it would smooth things at the border and save time in not having to complete the green I-94 visa waiver form. However when I got to the border, the guards knew nothing about ESTA and said I also had to complete the I-94 form as well. The instructions on the ESTA website seemed to imply that you could complete the form in place of the I-94, though this was not the case on that occasion.

Having to secure permission to travel ahead of time does leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. One way in which ESTA was "sold" was that it enables travellers to check in online for US flights for which they have booked tickets.