Clumsy Visa-Waiver Changes Part of U.S. Overreaction to ISIS

Since November, the U.S. government, with a big assist from Congress, has been narrowing the eligibility for citizens of 38 countries to enter the U.S. without visas. The constant adjustments to the rules say a lot about the U.S. government’s preoccupation with terrorism over other policy interests, its inability to anticipate secondary effects of new policies, and America’s deep ambivalence about dual citizenship.

In a rare instance of executive and congressional cooperation, both branches of the U.S. government have been working to prevent any misuse of the established visa-waiver program by terrorists. Congress created the program nearly 30 years ago, with the first beneficiaries being the United Kingdom and Japan. Today, citizens of 38 countries are eligible to enter the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, accounting for over 20 million visitors each year. ...