CEO DATELINE - Travel association blasts proposed visa restrictions after terrorist attack
CEO DATELINE - Travel association blasts proposed visa restrictions after terrorist attack
- November 18, 2015 |
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Walt Williams
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The U.S. Travel Association is condemning a bill that would prevent the U.S. from issuing travel visas to citizens from some Muslim countries, saying such a move would be reminiscent of the "sweeping isolation" that characterized the nation's foreign policy in the 1930s.
The bill by presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would place a moratorium on issuing visas to refugees from about 30 countries with a "significant jihadist movement," Politico reported. It also would institute a 30-day waiting period for people from countries whose citizens can enter the U.S. without a visa if certain conditions are met.
"My bill will also stop refugees as well as others from obtaining visas to immigrate, visit or to study in the U.S.," Paul told reporters during a conference call. http://politi.co/1O2Km0V
Paul's bill is a response to the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. The candidate said he expects significant public support for the legislation.
The legislation does not have the support of the travel industry, with U.S. Travel CEO Roger Dow contrasting America's response to the Paris terrorist attack to its handling of the 9/11 attacks.
"In the aftermath of 9/11, America and its leaders chose freedom over fear, which enabled our nation's recovery on multiple levels," Dow said. "That was the proper instinct then and it remains so now."
Paul is suggesting a "discredited 1930s approach—sweeping isolationism—to a decidedly 21st-century problem," Dow added. The world is a complex and interconnected place, so the best solution to the terrorism problem is to use technology and strengthen alliances abroad.
"Tempting though it sometimes may be, we can't simply shut ourselves off from the world," Dow said. "If we do, shame on us, because then we're giving the enemy precisely what they want—terror, resignation, our prosperity and our very way of life." http://bit.ly/1QMUlbz
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