Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the administration’s implementation of restrictions on the use of the Visa Waiver Program:

“The Obama administration took an important step to strengthen the security of the Visa Waiver Program by quickly implementing a new policy requiring individuals who have traveled to high-risk countries to go through the traditional visa process rather than the visa waiver process. The traditional visa requires an in-person interview with a U.S. consular official and the collection of fingerprints and photographs, instead of a visa waiver.

“To better protect our country, individuals who may pose a threat must be thoroughly screened before they depart their home countries to come to the United States. That’s exactly what the new policy will do. I will continue to push for legislation I have introduced to improve screening of all visa waiver travelers and strengthen information sharing in the program.

“I continue to believe that restricting use of the Visa Waiver Program based on travel will help prevent an estimated 5,000 foreign fighters from Europe who have trained in the Middle East from exploiting the program to enter the United States.”