Can US Transit Visa Rule Prevent Terrorist Strike?

EVERY year thousands of people visit the US for a holiday or business. Often they go to other countries after visiting various places in the US or transit through the country. The latest rule that transit passengers have to get an American visa is going to hit hard travellers.

The new measure, the authorities claim, is a security step to avert another September 11. If the government is so serious about preventing such attacks in the future it should get into the heart of the problem instead of hassling the US-bound passengers. Has the US government suddenly found that passengers transiting its hundreds of airports, maybe seaports as well, are a security risk? Its fear of militants filtering into the US while travelling to another country is yet to be substantiated. The US boasts of having best intelligence gathering machinery, based on an array of satellites, communication equipment and ground-based agents. It is arguable if Washington still maintains that militants are capable of escaping the security nets and stringent checks at entry points in the US. Either the intelligence is ineffective or there is no proper cooperation or coordination among different spying units. A recent report has clearly indicated that the September 11 incidents could have been averted if there were proper intelligence pooling.

The Department of Homeland Security's decision to suspend two programmes that allow foreigners to travel through US airports on their way to other countries without a US visa will add to the woes of travellers going to Canada or Central American states. Hitherto the Transit Without Visa and International to International transit programmes had allowed foreigners who require to visit the US to catch another international flight without going through the paper work. Under the new rule such passengers need a US visa. Needless to say, the new US rule will cause innumerable difficulties to transit passengers. Those who are planning to go to a particular destination via US have to start preparing months before their actual departure. Travellers from all parts of the world know, since September 11, how much time does it take to get a visa. One has to spend considerable time and money at diplomatic missions, filling in papers and answering all kinds of questions.

The US authorities think that despite the difficulties travellers face, the measure is worth implementing to prevent another September 11-like attack. But how could they do it? Militants, if they want to strike, need not come from across the border or arrive in the country as visitors or transit passengers. Anybody could strike terror from within the country itself. Transit visa requirement is no guarantee against terrorist attacks. Instead of serving its intended purpose the new rule will surely hit thousands of transit passengers and America's travel and tourism industry. Hopefully, as promised by the authorities, they would reconsider the decision after assessing the impact for two months. Till that time it's a test for international travellers' patience and nerves.