US Increasingly Denying Entry to Muslims and Individuals of Certain Countries

In recent weeks, Muslims and individuals from certain countries are reportedly being refused entry to the US, leading some to think that innocent individuals are being caught up in increased US security measures.

Muslim Family Headed to Disneyland Denied Entry

In one case, a British Muslim family was barred earlier this month from flying from Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom to the US for a vacation at Disneyland. Mohammed Zahid Mahmood said he and his family—which included two brothers and nine children—were not allowed to travel to the US for vacation, despite previously having obtained clearance. He told the BBC that his children were "traumatised, really upset" about the cancelled trip. "They think they've done something wrong," he said. "I want an explanation, and what's going to happen next. I would still like to go to America, I would like my kids to fulfil their dreams."

Stella Creasy, a member of the opposition Labour Party, said that her inquires to US officials on why her constituents—Mahmood and his family—were not allowed to board the flight to the US were not answered, and consequently she wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron to look into the matter, citing a "growing fear" among British Muslims that “aspects of Trump's plans are coming into practice even though they have been widely condemned.”

Because of other instances of US airlines either preventing Muslims or “Middle Eastern-looking” individuals from flying as well as alleged mistreatment, some think that presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposed temporary ban on Muslims visiting the US and other anti-Muslim sentiment and discrimination in the US has led to increased and overly-aggressive scrutiny of Muslim and Middle-Eastern travelers to the US.

While Cameron’s office said they are investigating the matter, a top Muslim group in the UK said the incident appears to be related to the travelers’ religion and is very concerning to British Muslims. A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman told ABC News that the "religion, faith or spiritual beliefs of an international traveler are not determining factors" for admittance to the US and that people can be denied entry for numerous reasons including health-related issues, prior criminal convictions, security concerns, or other grounds. The Muslim Council of Britain says the last-minute denial of boarding without explanation is unfair for Muslims. "There is a perception that such decisions are being made due to the faith or political activism of individuals," the council stated. 

Mahmood, whose family reportedly spent £9,000 on tickets for the Disneyland flights, told the Guardian that they received no explanation for why they were not allowed to board their flight, but he believed it was “because of the attacks on America—they think every Muslim poses a threat.” According to news reports, the US Embassy in London has not issued any comments or clarifications as to why Mahmood and his family were not permitted to travel to the US to visit Disneyland or regarding any increased travel security restrictions.

British Imam Ajmal Masroor Denied Entry

Ajmal Masroor, a British imam and broadcaster, reports he was also prevented from traveling to the US for business, despite having traveled to the US multiple times already this year. While Masroor was originally denied an ESTA, or Electronic System for Travel Authorization, after US Embassy staff contacted him to apply, he had been granted a business and tourism B1/B2 visa, which he said he used to travel to the US.

“In my mind, the refusal and revoking of my visa was calculated. For me it’s very callous,” he told the Guardian. In response, the US Embassy in London said: “The embassy is aware of this matter. We are in contact with the individual and therefore have no further public comment at this time.” Masroor believes US officials are singling out Muslims. "This is absolutely discrimination. It is not acceptable and playing into the hands of the terrorists," he said. Masroor also said he had heard of twenty similar cases of fellow Muslims being denied entry to the US, and David Cameron has been informed of additional cases as well.

In addition, Indian students have been denied entry to the US. In two separate cases, twenty Indian students with valid student visas for colleges in California were denied entry in Chicago and returned to India, and nineteen students were barred from boarding an Air India plane headed to San Francisco for the same schools.

It’s not only travelers to the US being excluded entrance, but Australia has also faced criticism for denying entry to certain individuals, including Zahra Ramadani, a Syrian-born British national whose visa was issued and revoked without explanation right before she was scheduled to fly to Sydney, and a Pakistani family who were trying to visit their terminally ill son who was unable to travel out of Australia.

Those who are planning a visit to the US should be aware of the proper ESTA and visa procedures and requirements, and also their rights if denied entry.

Adding New Countries and Enhancing Security in the Visa Waiver Program

The popular United States Visa Waiver Program—currently used by nationals of thirty-eight countries to travel to the US—will now have increased security standards for the participating countries. The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of designated countries to travel for business or tourism to the US without a visa for stays of up ninety days. Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval prior to travel.

In response to the growing threat from individuals who have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State and other groups, and who are nationals of designated visa waiver countries (the US estimates that approximately 3,000 Europeans have traveled to Syria since the conflict began in 2011), the United States will now require that countries participating in the program make changes, most significantly the following:

  • Require all passengers to use newer biometric passports that incorporate fingerprints and electronic chips that contain a photograph of the passport holder;

  • Allow more American air marshals on flights to the US;

  • Require use of the INTERPOL Lost and Stolen Passport Database to screen travelers as well as databases that share travel records and passenger information;

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will conduct reviews of all the countries participating in the waiver program to ensure they are following its requirements. If they find certain countries have weaker screening processes, there may be additional scrutiny for nationals of those countries at border crossings. 

DHS Secretary Jeh C. Johnson said in a written statement that these security enhancements are "part of this Department’s continuing assessments of our homeland security in the face of evolving threats and challenges, and our determination to stay one step ahead of those threats and challenges.”

While the DHS tightens the requirements, a bill introduced in Congress is proposing to increase the number of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program. The bill, called the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel Act (JOLT), had eighty-seven co-sponsors, split between forty-seven Democrats and forty Republicans at the end of July.

JOLT proposes to add Brazil, Poland, Israel, and Croatia, to the list of visa waiver countries by providing the DHS secretary the ability to expand the Visa Waiver Program to countries who failed the current “visa refusal” requirement. Currently this requirement bars countries when more than three percent of its citizens’ visa applications are denied. The bill would allow the DHS secretary to admit countries that have refusal rates as high as ten percent.

The bill would also enhance security requirements for countries participating in the program, including requiring the issuance of electronic biometric passports, although it's not clear if that would remain in the bill as the DHS is preemptively implementing this change. While this bill is being pushed by the travel industry which cites the economic advantages to increased tourism, critics may point to the fact that since 2008 the majority of new undocumented immigrants in the US initially arrived legally. The bill would also change the name of the Visa Waiver Program to the Secure Travel Partnership Program.

"Boosting our economy and improving national security are two of the most critical challenges we face as a nation and the JOLT Act addresses them both," Representative Joe Heck, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Representative Mike Quigley, said in a press release. "Expediting the visa interview process and expanding the Visa Waiver Program will bring more international travelers and tourists to destinations around our country and creates jobs."

El Tapas de Begur

The tapas. Try some—they go fast.

The tapas. Try some—they go fast.

In Begur, a charming town in the Costa Brava region of Spain (where I also visited last summer), there is this tiny but famous place that serves some of the best tapas you'll ever eat. So order a gin and tonic or sangria and try one. And then another. Okay, one more. Seriously, you won't be able to stop.

United States to Resume Diplomatic Relations with Cuba After More than Fifty Years

The United States will restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, President Obama announced last week, ending he said "an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries." The announcement was the result of secret eighteen-month negotiations between the two governments aided by Pope Francis that involved a prisoner swap as well as the release of imprisoned Cuban political dissidents and, separately on humanitarian grounds, American contractor Alan Gross. 

The next steps will involve re-establishing the US Embassy in Havana in the coming months and high-level diplomatic talks between the two governments under the leadership of Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that the move to restore relations (severed in January 1961) is the "best way to help bring freedom and opportunity to the Cuban people, and to promote America's national security interests in the Americas, including greater regional stability and economic opportunities for American businesses."

While the US trade embargo will need congressional action to be fully lifted, President Obama's actions will facilitate the expansion of travel to Cuba by US nationals under the general travel licenses (which, incidentally, is how Jay-Z and Beyoncé traveled to Cuba), ease travel for Americans for business purposes, facilitate authorized financial transactions between the US and Cuba as well as the use of American debit and credit cards in Cuba, and expand commercial sales and exports to and from the US.

Cuban President Raúl Castro praised the move but "told his nation that the change did not mean the end of communist rule in Cuba."

The New Yorker: "Pets Allowed"

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has an extensive list of prohibited items but does, of course, allow travelers to bring their pets (not just service animals) through security, letting airlines decide their own pet travel policy. Reporter Patricia Marx recently tested TSA's response (as well as JetBlue's) by bringing a one-year-old pig named Daphne with her on a flight from Newark to Boston. (In this experiment with "emotional-support" therapy animals, she also brought a turtle to the Frick Collection, a wild turkey on the Hampton Jitney as well as to Katz’s Delicatessen, and an alpaca to a pharmacy—though Ms. Marx had hoped to travel with the alpaca on Amtrak.)

Ms. Marx's conclusion: "I’m pleased to report that passing through security with a pig in your arms is easier than doing so without one: you get to keep your shoes on and skip the full-body scanner." JetBlue also welcomed the additional traveler, and on the return trip from Boston, Daphne got to pre-board, where she was welcomed by the delighted flight attendants.

In lieu of traveling with pigs, those who want to save time at security or US customs (traveling internationally with animals has its own difficulties) should look into TSA preCheck and Global Entry.