WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Restrictions on visa-free travel to the United States enacted following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris have been used to revoke US entry privileges for thousands of dual nationals of Syria, Iran and other countries, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske told Congress on Tuesday.
"On January 21, 2016, CBP began to deny new ESTA [electronic certification] applications and revoke valid ESTAs for individuals who have previously indicated holding dual nationality with Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria," Kerlikowske told a Committee on Homeland Security hearing. "More than 17,000 ESTAs have been denied or revoked to date."
ESTA is an acronym for the electronic certification needed to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Citizens of 38 nations, mainly in Europe, are eligible for the visa-waiver program to enter the United States.
The measure is intended to make it more difficult for the likes of those who carried out the Paris terrorist attacks and hold EU citizenship to enter the United States.
Kerlikowske noted that beginning on January 13, CBE also initiated a program to identify citizens of visa-waiver countries who had visited the four nations.
The law allows waivers for certain individuals, such as government officials and businessmen, however no waivers have been granted to date, Kerlikowske pointed out.
Travelers no longer eligible for the visa-waiver must first obtain a visa to enter the United States.
