Visa Bond Pilot Program: Foreigners will abandon idea of coming to U.S

  Noman Sabit: The State Department is set to roll out a pilot program that may require foreign nationals from certain countries seeking business or tourism visas to post a bond of up to $15,000, according to a public notice set to be published Tuesday. The notice lays out the details of a 12-month "visa bond pilot program" that would allow consular officers to require visa bonds. Under the program, the bonds may be required for travelers from countries that the State Department says have high rates of visa overstays, or where screening and vetting information is considered deficient, according to the document. The notice does not specify the countries covered by the pilot program, but said the State Department will announce the list at least 15 days before it takes effect. The agency will also provide an explanation of why the bonds are required, according to the listing, which will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. The program will take effect 15 days after the notice is officially published and will run through August 2026, the document states. The program comes in response to an executive order issued by President Trump on the first day of his second term that sought to stem illegal immigration into the U.S., a major focus of the president's policy agenda. The measure directed the treasury secretary, along with the secretaries of state and homeland security, to take action to implement a visa bond program. As part of his immigration agenda, the president has sought to roll back humanitarian programs for migrants from certain countries, and signed a proclamation in June banning foreign nationals from a dozen countries from traveling to the U.S. The Trump administration has also targeted immigrants on student visas and taken steps to tighten the rules for visa applicants. A new tax-and-spending bill signed by Mr. Trump last month also subjects many travelers to the U.S. to a $250 "visa integrity fee." Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, said the latest measures from the Trump administration will deter travel to the U.S. from foreign countries. "Bonds on tourist and business visas will convince most foreigners not to bother coming," Nowrasteh said in a statement to CBS News. "The result will be a decimated tourist industry. Tourists spend over $200 billion annually in the U.S., spending that counts as exports. The administration's proposal will not only undermine much of the tourist industry, but it will counteract the administration's goals to reduce the trade deficit. The Trump administration's talent is proposing and enacting the most punitive, expensive, and unnecessary migration restrictions imaginable." The State Department described the pilot program as a "tool of diplomacy" and said it will help inform future decisions regarding the potential use of visa bonds "to address the national security and foreign policy priorities" raised in Mr. Trump's executive order. "The Pilot Program is further designed to serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure robust screening and vetting for all citizens in matters of identity verification and public safety, to create safeguards in [Citizenship by Investment] programs that provide citizenship without any residency in the country, and to encourage specified countries with visa overstays to ensure their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits," according to the notice. [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.] BP/CS