Homeland Security to address weaknesses in visa waiver program

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Friday he’s concerned that terrorists might use the visa waiver program to get into the United States through countries with which the U.S. has friendly relations, and his department is taking steps to address weaknesses in the program.

Johnson told an aviation industry luncheon that he doesn’t want to discard the program, which makes it easier for Americans to travel to friendly countries and for citizens of those countries to travel to the U.S. But he noted that some of those countries also have citizens or legal residents who have left to fight or train with terrorist groups in the Middle East, Asia or Africa, then returned home intent on violence.

For example, France and Germany have larger populations of citizens or residents who have traveled to the Middle East to fight or train with al-Qaida or Islamic State militants. The concern is that those fighters will return to their home countries and from there travel to the U.S.

Johnson also said the 15 Customs and Border Protection clearance centers established at overseas airports to screen airline passengers bound for the U.S. have been successful. The center the agency opened last year in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, prevented 450 people from boarding planes to the U.S., including several who were on the terror watch list, he said.