Jackson, Joined by Eighteen Other Representatives, Leads Letter Urging Administration to Ensure Equal Treatment for All U.S. Citizens as It Considers Israel for Visa Waiver Program (Washington, DC) — Yesterday, Congressman Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), along with his colleagues Donald Beyer (VA-8), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Cori Bush (MO-1), André Carson (IN-7), Valerie Foushee (NC-4), Jesús García (IL-4), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Summer Lee (PA-12), Betty McCollum (MN-4), James McGovern (MA-2), Eleanor Norton (DC-At Large), Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Mark Pocan (WI-2), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. They are urging the Administration to ensure equal treatment of all U.S. citizens – irrespective of ethnicity, national origin, and religion – within the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) as the Administration considers Israel’s candidacy to join the program.

“I am deeply committed to ensuring the fair treatment of all U.S. citizens abroad,” said Congressman Jackson. “I am joined by my 18 colleagues from across the nation in strongly supporting Israel’s candidacy for the Visa Waiver Program. However, as Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Nides, and others in the Administration have repeatedly made clear, our standard is that ‘blue is blue’. This principle signifies equal treatment and freedom of travel for all U.S. citizens regardless of national origin, religion, or ethnicity.”

In their letter, the Representatives highlight, “We write to you to raise a number of concerns regarding Israel’s bid to join the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This program allows the citizens and nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business up to 90 days with no visa, while allowing Americans reciprocal privileges when traveling to countries in the VWP.”

They add, “The Visa Waiver Program statutorily requires ‘reciprocal privileges to citizens and nationals of the United States.’ The reciprocity requirement cannot be met until equal treatment and freedom of travel is guaranteed for all U.S. citizens regardless of national origin, ethnicity, or religion. Israel’s continuous discrimination and mistreatment of Arab Americans, including Palestinian Americans, and others espousing support for Palestinian human rights, seeking to enter the country precludes their participation.”

The Representatives detail several measures that must be addressed before Israel can join the VWP, including full reciprocity for American citizens traveling to and from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), full access to Israel and the OPT for all Americans, and the guarantee of freedom of expression for Americans advocating for Palestinian human rights.

Jackson, Joined by Eighteen Other Representatives, Leads Letter Urging Administration to Ensure Equal Treatment for All U.S. Citizens as It Considers Israel for Visa Waiver Program

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