Latest news with #KristiNoem
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Map Shows Countries That Are Part of US Visa Waiver Program
United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Monday that Argentina was likely to rejoin the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), allowing visa-free travel to the U.S. Noem said that part of the reason for the move was a rise in Argentinian tourism to the U.S. in the past year, along with low visa overstays. Adding a country to the VWP takes time and requires it to meet strict security requirements, but getting on the list means a far easier process for nationals visiting the U.S., including avoiding a new $250 "visa integrity fee" being introduced by the Trump administration. The VWP allows visitors to the U.S., including those traveling for business, to spend up to 90 days in the country without needing to apply for a visitor visa, with some caveats. There are currently 41 nations on the list, with Chile the only other South American country as of July 2025. Nationals from these countries have to apply for a what is known as an ESTA, through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, ahead of traveling, and must be approved by the U.S. Department of State through this. An ESTA currently costs $21 per application, but this will rise to $40 from October 1, 2025, following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. While that cost may affect some travelers, it will still be less than for those from other countries applying for a B visitor visa, which costs $185. That will soon have the $250 visa integrity fee added on top. For VWP applicants, there are certain criteria that must be met. The State Department will not approve ESTAs for those who: Have traveled to or been present in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen since March 1, 2011Have traveled to or been present in Cuba since January 12, 2021Are also nationals of Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria. The VWP is also not applicable to those coming to the U.S. to study for credit, for employment, to work as foreign press or other media, or to live as a permanent resident. All of these require different immigration pathways. As for Argentina-which was part of the VWP until 2002 when economic instability and concerns around illegal immigration were raised during the Bush administration-it will have to comply with the American rules in order to rejoin. According to the State Department, a country has to share enhanced law enforcement and security-related data with the U.S., issue e-passports, have a low visitor-visa refusal rate, timely reporting of passport issues, and be able to prove it maintains high counter-terrorism, law enforcement, and border controls. In the Department of Homeland Security's press release on the intention to get Argentina back on the VWP, Noem said Argentina now had the lowest visa overstay rate in Latin America. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in a press release: "Argentina now has the lowest visa overstay rate in all of Latin America and 25 percent more Argentines traveled to the U.S. in the first four months of this year compared to last year-the biggest jump of any of the top 20 international arrivals. That is why we are now taking steps to allow Argentina back into the Visa Waiver Program. "This statement of intent I signed alongside Minister Werthein and Minister Bullrich highlights our strong partnership with Argentina and our mutual desire to promote lawful travel while deterring threats. This kind of diplomatic leadership, spearheaded by President Trump, will help increase the safety of both countries." Republican Florida Representative Maria Salazar, on X: "This marks a powerful step toward restoring trust, deepening U.S.-Argentina ties, and bringing Argentina back onto the world stage. Under [Javier Milei], Argentina is emerging as a regional model of economic freedom, transparency, and strong democratic values." Argentina will have to be vetted further by the U.S. government before it can rejoin the VWP. Related Articles Green-Card Changes Threaten Pastors' Ability To Remain in USTrump Admin Reveals Planned Changes to US Citizenship Test, H-1B VisasTrump Admin Identifies Gang Immigration 'Loophole'US Denies Visas to Venezuelan Little League Baseball Team 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
More churches are suing ICE over arrests in places of worship: ‘Congregations have gone underground'
Another group of Christian denominations is suing Donald Trump's administration to stop immigration enforcement arrests in their churches. A lawsuit from Baptist, Lutheran and Quaker groups accuses Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of chilling First Amendment protections and infringing on religious freedoms. The groups filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block the policy on Tuesday. After Trump entered office, the administration rescinded previous Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy that prohibited enforcement actions in sensitive locations such as places of worship, as well as schools and hospitals. Within the last month, federal agents seized a man in front of a church, brandished a rifle at a pastor and detained a grandfather dropping off his granddaughter at a church school in Los Angeles, according to the lawsuit. Federal officers have also recently chased several men into a church parking lot and arrested a parishioner at churches across southern California, according to church leaders. 'As a result, people across the country, regardless of immigration status, reasonably fear attending houses of worship,' according to the lawsuit. 'The open joy and spiritual restoration of communal worship has been replaced by isolation, concealment, and fear.' Attendance and donations have plummeted, and 'congregations have gone underground to protect their parishioners, eschewing in-person meetings central to their faith,' plaintiffs argued. Baptisms are being held in private, churches have stopped advertising immigrant-focused ministries, and houses of worship 'have suddenly had to lock those doors and train their staff how to respond to immigration raids,' according to the complaint. The lawsuit is at least the fourth filed by faith leaders against ICE policy within the last six months. In February, more than two dozen religious groups similarly sued the administration. A federal judge ultimately partially granted a restraining order that blocked ICE from enforcement actions in roughly 1,700 places of worship in 35 states and Washington, D.C. But in April, a Trump-appointed judge sided with the administration in a similar case brought by more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., argued that drops in church attendance could not be definitively linked to ICE actions, and congregants were likely staying home to avoid ICE anywhere in their own neighborhoods rather than places of worship. 'As people of faith, we cannot abide losing the basic right to provide care and compassion,' said Bishop Brenda Bos with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's California synod, among the plaintiffs in the latest legal battle. 'Not only are our spaces no longer guaranteed safety, but our worship services, educational events and social services have all been harmed by the rescission of sensitive space protection,' Bos added. 'Our call is love our neighbor, and we have been denied the ability to live out that call.' Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the administration is protecting places of worship by 'preventing criminal aliens and gang members from exploiting these locations and taking safe haven there because these criminals knew law enforcement couldn't go inside under the Biden Administration.' The lawsuit arrives as Christian leadership across the country — and at the Vatican — grapples with the consequences of the Trump administration's aggressive anti-immigration policy. With a directive from the White House to make at least 3,000 daily arrests, ICE received record-breaking funding from Congress — expanding the agency's budget to be larger than most countries' militaries — to hire more officers and expand detention space. Miami's Archbishop Thomas Wenski condemned public officials' rhetoric praising Alligator Alcatraz, and San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas in California also issued a rare decree this month excusing parishioners from attending mass over 'genuine fear' of immigration raids. Pope Leo XIV, who is American-born and whose papacy began less than four months into Trump's presidency, had previously criticized the administration's immigration policies and rhetoric. Washington, D.C. Cardinal Robert McElroy has also criticized the administration's agenda of 'mass, indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children and families which literally rips families apart and is intended to do so.' In Los Angeles, the largest archdiocese in the country, Archbishop Jose Gomez accused the administration of having 'no immigration policy beyond the stated goal of deporting thousands of people each day.' 'This is not policy, it is punishment, and it can only result in cruel and arbitrary outcomes,' wrote the bishop, who is also a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico. 'Already we are hearing stories of innocent fathers and mothers being wrongly deported, with no recourse to appeal.'
Newsweek
7 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Map Shows Countries That Are Part of US Visa Waiver Program
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Monday that Argentina was likely to rejoin the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), allowing visa-free travel to the U.S. Noem said that part of the reason for the move was a rise in Argentinian tourism to the U.S. in the past year, along with low visa overstays. Why It Matters Adding a country to the VWP takes time and requires it to meet strict security requirements, but getting on the list means a far easier process for nationals visiting the U.S., including avoiding a new $250 "visa integrity fee" being introduced by the Trump administration. What To Know The VWP allows visitors to the U.S., including those traveling for business, to spend up to 90 days in the country without needing to apply for a visitor visa, with some caveats. There are currently 41 nations on the list, with Chile the only other South American country as of July 2025. Nationals from these countries have to apply for a what is known as an ESTA, through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, ahead of traveling, and must be approved by the U.S. Department of State through this. An ESTA currently costs $21 per application, but this will rise to $40 from October 1, 2025, following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. While that cost may affect some travelers, it will still be less than for those from other countries applying for a B visitor visa, which costs $185. That will soon have the $250 visa integrity fee added on top. For VWP applicants, there are certain criteria that must be met. The State Department will not approve ESTAs for those who: Have traveled to or been present in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen since March 1, 2011 Have traveled to or been present in Cuba since January 12, 2021 Are also nationals of Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria. The VWP is also not applicable to those coming to the U.S. to study for credit, for employment, to work as foreign press or other media, or to live as a permanent resident. All of these require different immigration pathways. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (L) and Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich shake hands after signing a bilateral agreement at the Casa Rosada government palace in Buenos Aires on July 28, 2025. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (L) and Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich shake hands after signing a bilateral agreement at the Casa Rosada government palace in Buenos Aires on July 28, 2025. ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images As for Argentina—which was part of the VWP until 2002 when economic instability and concerns around illegal immigration were raised during the Bush administration—it will have to comply with the American rules in order to rejoin. According to the State Department, a country has to share enhanced law enforcement and security-related data with the U.S., issue e-passports, have a low visitor-visa refusal rate, timely reporting of passport issues, and be able to prove it maintains high counter-terrorism, law enforcement, and border controls. In the Department of Homeland Security's press release on the intention to get Argentina back on the VWP, Noem said Argentina now had the lowest visa overstay rate in Latin America. What People Are Saying U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in a press release: "Argentina now has the lowest visa overstay rate in all of Latin America and 25 percent more Argentines traveled to the U.S. in the first four months of this year compared to last year—the biggest jump of any of the top 20 international arrivals. That is why we are now taking steps to allow Argentina back into the Visa Waiver Program. "This statement of intent I signed alongside Minister Werthein and Minister Bullrich highlights our strong partnership with Argentina and our mutual desire to promote lawful travel while deterring threats. This kind of diplomatic leadership, spearheaded by President Trump, will help increase the safety of both countries." Republican Florida Representative Maria Salazar, on X: "This marks a powerful step toward restoring trust, deepening U.S.-Argentina ties, and bringing Argentina back onto the world stage. Under [Javier Milei], Argentina is emerging as a regional model of economic freedom, transparency, and strong democratic values." What's Next Argentina will have to be vetted further by the U.S. government before it can rejoin the VWP.
Axios
15 hours ago
- Axios
PreCheck perks still worth it as TSA loosens security
Airport security programs like TSA PreCheck and CLEAR allow travelers to breeze through screening. As TSA eases security protocols, travel experts say paying for that privilege is still a good investment. Why it matters: Two decades after post-9/11 crackdowns made fast-track security a no-brainer for many Americans, especially frequent fliers, the appeal of skipping long lines hasn't faded. Catch up quick: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on July 16 that TSA may change the current rule on traveling with liquids. The potential change comes on the heels of TSA ending the " shoes off policy," which the more than 20 million active PreCheck members already bypassed. PreCheck is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents, while other government traveler programs like Global Entry allow some foreign citizens to apply. How it works: In addition to keeping on their shoes, TSA PreCheck members do not have to remove belts and light jackets through screening. They also can keep their laptops and travel-size liquid products in their carry-on bags. TSA's wait goal for the standard security line is 30 minutes or less, a TSA spokesperson told Axios, while PreCheck is expected to be 10 minutes or less. Axios reviewed estimated wait times for popular airports on the TSA app Thursday afternoon and found JFK airport in New York had a 30- to 45-minute wait. Most airports had waits of 15 to 30 minutes or less. Zoom in: Separate from PreCheck, CLEAR is a third-party service that expedites check-in at airports and arenas using enrollees' biometric data, such as fingerprints and eyes. Travelers can bundle the service with PreCheck to use at CLEAR kiosks, which would bump them to the front of the PreCheck line. What they're saying: Travel experts argue the programs' time-saving advantages go well beyond the eased restrictions. Eric Rosen, director of travel content for The Points Guy, tells Axios PreCheck is still a good investment for some travelers. "The lines tend to be shorter and to move faster with dedicated security lanes and no requirement to remove belts," Rosen said. Scott Keyes, founder of Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights), agreed and said "even without the shoes advantage, TSA PreCheck lines typically move much faster than general security." "PreCheck lines typically have fewer people and more experienced travelers who won't slow everyone down by trying to bring a full water bottle through security," Keyes said. Follow the money: TSA has lowered the price of PreCheck for new enrollments and renewals in recent years, which is an unusual move in a time when consumers are used to price hikes. Current prices for PreCheck vary based on what enrollment provider travelers use, and range from $76.75 to $85 for the five-year membership. Renewal prices also vary from $58.25 to $77.95. A CLEAR+ membership is $209 a year, but the company's website is currently promoting a bundle to get five years of PreCheck for $77.95 and one year of CLEAR+ for $131.05 for the first year. The $120 cost of Global Entry, which allows members to move to the front of the custom line at U.S. airports for five years, includes TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
‘ICE Barbie' Kristie Noem dons favorite cowboy gear as she visits Argentina to work on new visa deal
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took the opportunity to play dress-up again as she visited Argentina to sign a new visa-free travel agreement. Speaking to reporters alongside Argentinian officials at the Campo De Mayo military base, Noem sat astride a horse clad in a cowboy hat and belt, plus blue jeans and a black western-style jacket. She promised to "expedite" the easing of visa rules for citizens of the South American country, whose budget-slashing libertarian President Javier Milei is a major ally of President Donald Trump. It is the latest in a long series of sartorial stunts for the former South Dakota governor, who at various times has dressed as a plumber, a welder, a builder, a highway cop, a Border Patrol agent, a firefighter, a coast guard officer, and an ICE agent in tactical gear. The Old West appears to be a favorite touchstone, with Noem once asking her Instagram followers to vote on the best painting of her as a cowgirl even while Texas struggled with devastating floods. In March, she posed in heavy make-up in front of caged prisoners at El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison, where Venezuelan immigrants sent there by the Trump administration say they were tortured, beaten, and raped. The photo ops, and her status as the face of the Trump administration's immigration policy, have led some critics to mockingly dub Noem "ICE Barbie" or "Homeland Barbie" — with even city officials in flood-hit Texas reportedly adopting the term. "Under President Javier Milei's leadership, Argentina is becoming an even stronger friend to the United States — more committed than ever to border security for both of our nations," Noem said in a statement on Monday. "Argentina now has the lowest visa overstay rate in all of Latin America, and 25 percent more Argentines traveled to the U.S. in the first four months of this year compared to last year. "That is why we are now taking steps to allow Argentina back into the Visa Waiver Program,' she said. Monday's agreement is simply a statement of intent and actually realizing visa-free travel to the U.S. or Argentinian nationals could take years yet. A post on Noem's Instagram and X feeds for National Cowboy Day on Saturday, showing her riding with horse-mounted border agents, attracted many supportive, even fawning responses. Other commenters were less impressed. "Wasting taxpayers money again on a photo op?" said one Instagram user. "Any excuse to put on a costume. What a joke," posted another. One user on X inquired about her wardrobe budget, while another branded her "all hat and no cattle". Visa waivers allow citizens of friendly jurisdictions such as the U.K. and the European Union to visit the U.S. for leisure purposes for up to 90 days, without needing to apply for a visa first. Argentina joined the program in 1996, but was removed in 2002 due to fears that an ongoing economic crisis would drive more Argentinians to try to work in the U.S. illegally. The country has its own storied tradition of cowboys, known as gauchos, though they traditionally dress rather differently to their American counterparts, in patterned wool ponchos and voluminous trousers.
