Now, however, with the looming threat of IS and the influx of fighters joining its ranks in Syria and Iraq, the Obama administration is concerned that Western citizens may receive training from terror groups while abroad and use it to attack the homeland.
In an effort to keep tabs on people flying into the US, DHS released a statement on Thursday revealing changes to the visa waiver program that will significantly tighten restrictions on residents of the 28 countries formerly exempt from having to obtain an entry visa.
"As I have said a number of times now, the current global threat environment requires that we know more about those who travel to the United States," DHS Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in the statement. "This include those from countries for which we do not require a visa."
The new changes will require visitors to carry e-passports that have electronic chips containing biometric information, such as fingerprints and a photograph of the holder. US-bound flights from countries participating in the visa waiver program will also have to allow more US Marshals onboard, and will have to use an international database to screen for lost or stolen passport.
These new requirements are the latest in a string of changes applied to the waiver program in response to the threat of foreign fighters. Last year, DHS added a number of new questions to the forms visa-exempt travelers have to fill out before boarding flights.
US lawmakers have been calling for tighter restrictions on the program, as the numbers of foreign fighters streaming into Syria and Iraq increases. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has referred to the visa waiver program as the "Achilles heel" of the US’ efforts to prevent future attacks on its soil.
According to an intelligence assessment in February, 3,400 of 20,000 foreign fighters who have entered the conflict since 2011 are Westerners. The International Center for the Study of Radicalization has further found that most of those willing to join IS’ ranks are in Belgium, France, and Britain – three countries participating in the waiver program.
The visa waiver program was created in 1988 as a means to expedite travel between the US and its allies at the time. Under the program, visitors from the 28 countries can stay in the US for up to 90 days without applying for a visa.
