The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has warned the EU authorities and several member states about the need to tighten measures against arriving migrants from Central Asia, particularly from Uzbekistan, Bloomberg reports.
Now, American authorities are urging the European Union to demand transit visas from arriving citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, explained two people familiar with the matter to Bloomberg.
According to a source familiar with the warnings sent to the EU, such measures are part of ongoing efforts to gather information about individuals who may attempt to enter the United States. In response, European officials have stated that it would be faster and more effective to deal directly with countries within the union, as adopting common European rules would take more time. Representatives from the White House declined to comment.
This decision was made due to U.S. concerns about the potential flow of terrorists seeking to enter the country. Earlier this year, an incident occurred when a group of migrants entered the U.S. through the Mexican border with the help of a smuggler associated with the Islamic State. His connection to the terrorist organization was only discovered after the migrants had already arrived in the U.S.
This raised concerns about passengers transiting through European airports who ultimately plan to enter the United States. In August, CNN reported that the FBI was conducting investigations into over a dozen citizens of Uzbekistan and other countries who had sought asylum in the U.S. According to a confidential report, the FBI did not find any terrorist threats from migrants based on its investigation.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
October 19, 2023