Businesses, states fight against shortened visas
By Suzanne Gamboa
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Travel industry groups, businesses and states that rake in billions of dollars from foreign tourists are urging the Bush administration to reconsider plans to curtail how long some visitors may stay.
President Bush's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is among critics of the plan, which would end the automatic granting of six-month stays to holders of business and tourist visas. They say the proposal will hurt local economies that rely on tourism and are just recovering from the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It's an overreaction," said Rick Webster, government affairs director for the Travel Industry Association of America, which includes all components of the $545 billion travel industry. "We don't believe it will have any impact in terms of security and will deter a lot of visitors from coming."
Webster said the plan undercuts the association's "SeeAmerica" campaign that began early last year. The multimedia campaign continuing in Japan and Europe.
The campaign brings together states, businesses and groups to pool advertising dollars and promote U.S. travel. It is the industry's response to government-financed travel campaigns by other countries, such as Australia and Mexico.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service says critics are overstating the potential impact. The vast majority of foreign visitors will be unaffected, the agency says.
"There seems to be a misconception that this is going to limit everyone to 30 days. This is going to limit everyone to a fair amount of time they need to complete their visit," said Bill Strassberger, INS spokesman. "If someone only has an airline ticket for a week, why give them six months?"
International travelers spend about $70 billion a year in the United States, according to the travel association. In Florida alone, more than 8 million foreign visitors spent more than $5.5 billion last year, generating $500 million in sales tax revenue, Jeb Bush said in an April 29 letter to INS Commissioner James Ziglar.
"Substantial portions of these visitors are considered part-time Florida residents who own property and pay taxes," Bush wrote.
"If INS does not specify its intentions toward foreign visitors in its regulations, the uncertainty of their access to the United States will increase the likelihood of a substantial reduction in tourism to our state and have a profound negative effect on our economy," Bush said.
His comments are among many thousands by business owners, travel industry groups, real estate agents, international travelers and others urging the INS to alter its plan. The INS is reviewing public comments and could issue final regulations by July.
Since the attacks, the INS has sought ways to better track foreign visitors. Fifteen of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers entered the United States legally on travel visas. Three were admitted with business visas. The 19th entered on a student visa.
In April, INS Commissioner James Ziglar proposed ending the practice of automatically giving a tourist or business traveler a minimum six-month stay. "As the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, demonstrated, this generous period of stay is susceptible to abuse by aliens who seek to plan and execute acts of terrorism," the INS said.
Currently, a foreign visitor need only present a valid passport and visa to an INS inspector upon arrival in the United States.
The INS plan would require each foreign traveler to show additional documents, such as an itinerary or a rental agreement, that inspectors will use to determine how long the visitor can be in the United States.
The inspectors no longer could grant stays beyond six months unless "unforeseen circumstances" such as medical emergencies arise.
When the appropriate length of a visit cannot be determined by the documents provided, inspectors will limit the stay to 30 days.
Critics, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, fear inspectors will be encouraged to limit visits whenever possible. The INS denies that and notes that three-quarters of the 10.3 million tourist and business visa admissions in 2000 were for 30 days or less.
Lori Killinger of the Florida Manufactured Housing Association said the plan will confuse foreigners and may encourage them to go elsewhere. She also questions how the policy will boost safety.
