Journalist experiences additional screening and interview on flight to United States

Ultimatum issued by the United States

As The Voyage Report reported in July, a long State Department cable, published online by Reuters, says the orders come after consultation between diplomats, the Department of Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence.

It describes “what information is needed for each country in order to sufficiently screen the nationals of that country in order to obtain a visa, admission to a port of entry or other immigration benefit,” the report reads. cable summary.

Then Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in June that “it is time to raise the global aviation security base.”

“We can’t play international whack-a-mole with every new threat. Instead, we need to put in place new measures at all levels to ensure the safety of the traveling public and make it harder for terrorists to succeed, ”said Kelly.

His announcement came just as DHS was phasing out the controversial electronics ban, which banned electronics larger than a smartphone in the cabin of flights to the United States.

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Threatened sanctions for non-compliance

The leaked cable released by Reuters explicitly states that countries that do not start providing additional information on inbound travelers and do not create electronic passport systems could face penalties.

Specifically, the United States could begin to prevent “classes” of foreign citizens of a particular country from coming to America.

DHS spokesperson David Lapan said The trip report the additional review is part of a “country-by-country review” commissioned by Pres. Trump in March as part of his travel ban, which has now been revised for the third time after being partially blocked by the courts.

In a statement released on Wednesday just after the re-screening of passengers bound for the United States was confirmed, the US Travel Association said:

“Safety adjustments rooted in legitimate concerns are a reality for travelers. It is essential that changes are clearly communicated and continually reassessed to ensure that they remain relevant and that disruption to legitimate travel is minimized.

“The American travel community continues to believe that security and economic objectives could benefit from hearing that these policy measures are tailored to specific vulnerabilities. The world should hear that they are not meant to discourage travel in general, and that legitimate business and leisure travelers are more welcome in the United States than ever before. “

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