美国为反恐新增对访美旅客过滤措施 US Adds New Anti-Terror Screening for Travelers Headed to US

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在巴黎发生恐怖袭击之后,美国星期一强化了免签证项目,对来自全球各地38个现有的免签证国家的访美旅客新增过滤措施。

白宫说,国土安全机构正迅速对其电子免签证通关系统做出改变,以获取访美旅客是否到过任何美国认为是“恐怖分子藏身之敌”的国家的信息。

除此之外,华盛顿表示正在考虑试点方案,增加对旅客进行生物识别筛选,例如从获取指纹或者照片,到对获准登上飞往美国班机的旅客的监视程序。

每年有两千万来自与美国有免签证协议的38个国家的外国游客来美。白宫说,当局近年来一再加强对来美旅客的审查,而“鉴于巴黎发生的恐怖袭击和来自外国恐怖分子持续不断的威胁”也正在加强审查。

白宫表示正在寻求国会批准一些新的安全措施,包括增加对那些无法识别旅游者护照信息的航空公司增加罚款,从5千美元增加到5万美元。美国还寻求在这38个国家和国际刑警组织间增加对潜在恐怖分子的信息共享,并更好地跟踪丢失和被盗的旅行证件。

The United States tightened its visa waiver program Monday in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, adding new screening for travelers headed to the U.S. from 38 countries around the world who now are allowed to enter the country without a visa.

The White House said the country's homeland security agency is immediately altering its electronic visa-free clearance system to capture information on whether U.S.-bound travelers have made any trips to countries the United States considers to be a "terrorist safe haven."

In addition, Washington said it is considering pilot programs to add the use of biometric screening for travelers, such as taking their fingerprints or photographs, to the monitoring process before passengers are allowed to board flights headed to the United States.

Each year, 20 million foreign visitors head to the U.S. from the 38 countries the U.S. has partnered with in the visa-free program. The White House said authorities have repeatedly increased their scrutiny of U.S.-bound travelers in recent years and are tightening them even more "given the terrorist attacks in Paris and the ongoing threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters."

The White House said it is seeking quick congressional approval for some of the new security measures, including an increase in fines, from $5,000 to $50,000, against airlines that fail to verify a traveler's passport data. The U.S. is also looking to increase information sharing about possible terrorists among the 38 countries and the international police agency Interpol, and to better track lost and stolen travel documents.