President Obama’s decision to speed up visa processing for low-risk Chinese and Brazilian travelers will give the recovering U.S. economy a welcome jolt of new energy this summer and beyond. The president’s executive order, which he announced at Walt Disney World earlier this year, is projected to create 1.3 million jobs and produce more than $860 billion in economic activity. From 2000 to 2010, the U.S. experienced a lost decade when it came to attracting international visitors to our country. The president’s new initiative can help put the United States back on top as the world’s No. 1 destination. Americans should rest assured that speeding up our tourist turnstiles does not mean relaxing post-Sept. 11 security measures. The fact is that our surveillance and security systems, and the technology that buttresses them, have become increasingly sophisticated over the past decade. Making the entry process more efficient for highly trusted travelers allows our nation’s security force to concentrate on more likely suspects and expands its overall effectiveness. – Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association
President Obama’s willingness to sacrifice national security to raise his public approval rating was glaringly evident when he flew to Walt Disney World to tout looser visa restrictions for Brazilian and Chinese visitors to the United States. While the leaders of Brazil and China often take anti-U.S. positions on the world stage, Obama claimed the move would help the slumping travel industry by bringing millions of new free-spenders into the country without weakening national security. But the Government Accountability Office conceded last year that there still is no effective way to track the more than 70 million foreign visitors who annually come to these shores on tourist and other short-term visas. The GAO also has estimated that half of the nation’s illegal aliens are people who have overstayed their visas. – Amy Ridenour, National Center for Public Policy Research
