Social Media Checks for Travelers Harms US, Democrat Warns (1)

A Trump administration proposal to mandate that travelers from visa waiver countries turn over social media history and other sensitive information will jeopardize US competitiveness with China, a key Democrat is warning.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed last month that visitors from more than 40 visa-free countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, be required to provide five years of social media history. DHS could also ask for data including telephone number and email addresses, family members’ names and place of residence, and biometrics like fingerprints and DNA when feasible.

Such invasive screening of visitors from friendly countries will discourage tourists, students, and innovators from travel to the US, said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) in a Jan. 6 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“While we absolutely must keep our nation secure from threats, deterring global talent from contributing to America is itself a threat,” wrote Krishnamoorthi, ranking member on the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Social media disclosure has been optional since 2016 for travelers from 42 countries that use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization program. The proposed screening requirements are part of a slate of new measures ratcheting up scrutiny of both temporary visitors and foreign workers like H-1B visa holders. The US tourism industry last year was projected to see the first drop in foreign travelers in five years.

Mandating that information be provided is short-sighted and would damage US competition with China, Krishnamoorthi said. He asked Noem what standards DHS will use to assess information collected from travelers as well as what analysis the agency has conducted on impact to student and tourist travel to the US.

“The stakes are clear. America’s leadership in tourism and education depends on open channels for collaboration between allied nations, predictable entry procedures for our friends, and the confidence of international partners,” Krishnamoorthi wrote. “This proposal, in its current form, risks harming all three.”

The proposal is a first step for discussion of policy options to keep the American people safe, said a spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection, which would collect the information from travelers.

A public comment period on the proposal ends Feb. 9. The spokesperson added that the agency is constantly reviewing how to vet travelers using the ESTA program as it implements a January executive order on threats to national security and public safety.