The Visa Express program was implemented three months prior to the September 11 attacks. Three of the nineteen September 11 hijackers took advantage of the Visa Express program by going to a travel agent for their visas. They were never interviewed by an American official.
Grassley, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, and Weldon, chairman of the Committee on Government Affairs Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, also sent a letter to State Department Inspector General Clark Kent Irvin asking for a thorough review of the Visa Express program. Grassley and Weldon's letters follow.
July 2, 2002
The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Powell:
We are very troubled by recent reports that suggest that the Department of State's Office of Consular Affairs is conducting programs that allow visa applicants to receive approval to come to the United States without proper in-person interviews.
The program recently in question is Visa Express, implemented three months prior to the attacks of September 11. Residents of Saudi Arabia, including non-Saudi citizens, are eligible for this program and three of the nineteen hijackers took advantage of the program by going through a travel agent for their visas and were never interviewed by an American official. Equally troubling is that the program is still in operation today despite the tragedy of September 11.
Reforms to the Visa Express program are not needed. Rather, there needs to be complete termination of this and other similar programs that give our national security a low priority.
Foreign Service officers have a difficult job as agents on our first line of defense. They are approving and denying visas to potentially harmful individuals and well-deserved visitors. However, we believe that diplomacy and terrorist tracking may be conflicts of interest that we should investigate.
We have asked the Department of State's Inspector General, Mr. Clark Kent Irvin, to conduct a review of Visa Express. We are seeking information on how and why this program was re-authorized, how many Saudi Arabian applicants were not interviewed because of this program, and what the current policy is at Consular Affairs with regard to visa application interviews, particularly what circumstances Foreign Service officers are allowed to waive an interview. We are also very interested in knowing if other visa waiver programs, aside from the congressionally-approved Visa Waiver Program, are currently operating around the world under the jurisdiction of the State Department.
Again, we strongly urge you to dismantle the Visa Express program which is putting the American people at risk. We have attached a copy of my letter to the Inspector General for your benefit. We look forward to hearing from you very soon regarding the above-mentioned matters.
Sincerely,
| Charles E. Grassley | Dave Weldon, M.D. |
| United States Senator | United States Representative |
July 2, 2002
Mr. Clark Kent Irvin
Inspector General
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Room 6817
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Mr. Irvin:
We are very troubled by recent reports that suggest that the Department of State's Office of Consular Affairs is conducting programs that allow visa applicants to receive approval to come to the United States without proper in-person interviews.
The program recently in question is Visa Express, implemented three months prior to the attacks of September 11. Residents of Saudi Arabia, including non-Saudi citizens are eligible for this program and three of the nineteen hijackers, took advantage of the program by going through a travel agent for their visas and were never interviewed by an American official. Equally troubling is that the program is still in operation today despite the tragedy of September 11.
Reforms to the Visa Express program are not needed. Rather, there needs to be complete termination of this and other similar programs that give our national security a low priority.
We are seeking your assistance in conducting a review of Visa Express. We would like a full explanation of the following within the next 14 days:
1) Was Visa Express re-authorized by the Secretary, or done so by the Director of Consular Affairs?
2) What was the reasoning behind the 2001 re-authorization of Visa Express?
3) How many Saudi Arabian applicants were able to obtain visas through the Visa Express program without an interview with a Consular Affairs officer? In your response, provide the number of Saudi Arabian citizens and non-citizens who gained entry to the United States through the program. For each category, how many have been admitted to the U.S. through the program from its inception through September 10, 2001? How many since September 11, 2001?
4) What is the current policy at Consular Affairs with regard to visa application interviews? In what circumstances are Foreign Service officers allowed to waive an interview?
5) What other similar visa waiver programs, aside from the congressionally-approved Visa Waiver Program, are operating throughout the world under the jurisdiction of the State Department?
6) Provide any reviews of the Visa Express Program since its inception.
7) What are the standards by which the private Saudi travel agencies were allowed to participate in the program? Who developed and approved these standards? Provide the written documentation that shows that each of the participating travel agents was properly certified.
8) How much money have the private Saudi travel agencies made from this program?
We appreciate your investigation into this matter, and look forward to hearing from you regarding the above-mentioned matters.
Sincerely,
| Charles E. Grassley | Dave Weldon, M.D. |
| United States Senator | United States Representative |