WASHINGTON,
July 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Following post-September
11 criticism of what many regard as “lax” immigration screening
procedures, the United States on Saturday terminated a controversial
program that allowed Saudi citizens to submit applications for U.S.
visas through travel agencies, the State Department said.
The
so-called "visa express" program had been a prime target in
an increasingly vitriolic battle between the department and
conservative lawmakers and media over allegations that U.S. diplomats
were endangering national security with lax processing of visa
applications.
Department
spokeswoman Jo-Anne Prokopowicz said "visa express" had been
ended as a direct result of persistent erroneous news reports that
claimed applications received through the program were not thoroughly
evaluated and had allowed terrorists to enter the United States.
"We
are taking this action because, despite repeated clarifications by the
department that every visa is reviewed and adjudicated by an American
consular officer, erroneous media reports have created a false
perception that threatens to undermine public confidence," she
told Agence-France Presse (AFP).
"We
have therefore terminated the use of travel agencies as collection
points for visa applications," Prokopowicz said, adding that a
senior consular officer from Washington D.C. was now in Riyadh
overseeing the implementation of a new issuance process.
"The
State Department is directing our two visa-issuing posts in Saudi
Arabia, the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah, to receive
all visa applications directly at the embassy or consulate and to
begin immediately to interview nearly all visa applicants," she
said.
Media
allegations of State Department laxness in the visa process -
particularly in Saudi Arabia, which was home to allegedly 15 of the19
September 11 hijackers - had led to demands from some lawmakers that
the authority for issuing the documents be given to the new Department
of Homeland Security.
They
had also resulted in the forced retirement of the most senior career
diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, Assistant Secretary of State for
Consular Affairs Mary Ryan, who had become a magnet for lawmakers'
criticism.
A
leaked cable from U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan,
asking for advice on how to counter the "visa express"
accusations, was the cause of an incident last week outside the State
Department briefing room, when a reporter who claimed to have a copy
of the classified document was briefly detained by security guards.
Earlier
this month, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell testified before
Congress’ House Select Committee on Homeland Security where he
revealed the new U.S. visa application prototype.
The
State Department is currently investigating visas illegally secured
through bribes after federal agents arrested 31 people who entered the
U.S. via illegally bought visas obtained through the U.S. Embassy in
Doha, Qatar.
