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Without Prejudice

Tightened security at the nationís airports and seaports is well understood and accepted by the diplomatic community in Washington, according to an informal survey of area diplomats. That acceptance stems from the recognition that 9/11 changed the security landscape in this country and made closer screening of foreign visitors necessary. Entry and exit procedures, although cumbersome at times, are the price one pays for ramped-up safety measures in response to threats of terrorist attacks.

Nevertheless, a few diplomats, foreign ministers, business delegations and others on official or quasi-official visits to Washington have occasionally encountered long delays at Dulles and other area airports, sparking criticism from some ambassadors who suggest that the Department of Homeland Security could find ways to screen this category of visitor more efficiently.

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In October 2003, Liechtensteinís foreign minister came to Washington on a visit with members of Congress and the State Department and had to wait in the immigration line at Dulles International Airport for about an hour and a half. Liechtenstein Ambassador Claudia Fritsche, who was there to greet the foreign minister, in unintended understatement, described Dullesís entry-vetting procedures for foreign dignitaries as "not expeditious."

Tight visitor screening has been in place at the nationís airports for some time now, and new measures are scheduled to be introduced in the months ahead. These include requiring the passports of foreign visitors to be biometrically machine-readable (for fingerprints and eye prints). Under the US-VISIT program of the Homeland Security Department, regulations may also require foreign visitors, before leaving their home country for the United States, to provide personal data, and there is a controversial proposal under consideration that meal preferences onboard would be included in this data. The European Union and the State Department have been negotiating to come up with a plan that would be acceptable to all parties. [more]