I was doing some reading this evening and wondering why the Andean Community and MERCOSUR don’t merge. I thought about the intricacies of that relationship, which led me to look at how Brazil is now going to implement a new visa for “security reasons.” That made me think: What is the actual evidence on visas between democracies deterring crime?
That duckduckgo search led me to this document. https://www.sita.aero/globalassets/docs/white-papers/the-role-of-electronic-travel-authorizations-paper.pdf
Most of what this document says is not important, but what is important is that they boldly claim to their investors that they are the leading global partner of governments in implementing eVisas and, without saying which countries they are operating in, claim to be operating worldwide.
That made me wonder: Who is operating the eVisa systems that have been popping up worldwide? Is it SITA? They claim to be doing so to their investors, but the Wikipedia pages for such systems do not say anything about it.
While I do not know for certain that SITA is why the US and EU are implementing visas on each other, open secrets prove that SITA has been a consistent lobbyist since 2001, when the 9/11 Commission report was written.
SITA operates ESTA in the US and ETA in Canada, among others. This company, without a useful product, is fearmongering politicians to implement its technology so it can collect a stable paycheck into the future by harming relations between allies.
The best part of the entire policy is the database that ETIAS is going to tap, which supposedly will improve security, is the Schengen Information System, which is the database that has recorded entries and exits of the Schengen Area since the agreement came into force. It doesn’t improve security; it just adds another level of bureaucracy and enriches a corrupt corporation.
When it comes to terrorist attacks in Europe, there has not been a terrorist attack in Europe from a citizen from a visa-free country to the Schengen information since… well… it’s never happened.
Is ETIAS necessary to improve the Schengen Information System?
According to the European Union, the Schengen Information System has been continuously improved and updated since its launch in 1995. Its last significant upgrade was in March 2023.
Advocates of eVisas frequently claim ETIAS will allow the EU to monitor travelers’ criminal records. Did they not already do this? What was the point of meeting with a customs agent at the border, then? I have trouble believing this.
The Schengen Information System already does this.
They claim that ETIAS will improve security and speed checks. But when I went through Schengen security in Wroclaw last year, I don’t think the guard asked me any questions. The reason is simple: they already have access to criminal records, and my record is blank. I was through customs in less than 5 minutes while standing in a line from a full flight. I don’t know how you can make that faster. Even an eGate would not speed it up by more than a minute. The process is already extremely efficient, and I do not believe ETIAS will make security faster.
The only thing ETIAS does is require people to pre-register. It does not add any functionality for criminal records that does not already exist, and it also does not automate customs by removing the need for border guards.
The only reasonable conclusion I have is the company that runs the technology behind these systems is a parasite.
Let’s make a testable hypothesis. A country with not just visa-free entry for over 50 nationalities but even eGate access for over 40 nationalities should then see significant levels of terrorism from foreigners.
If visa-free travel and eGates for select foreigners were a common cause of terrorist attacks, we would not have to imagine a country with such a policy. We could just study the United Kingdom. If that theory were true, the United Kingdom would be the most vulnerable country to terrorism in the world. They offer eGate access to over 40 nationalities. If the theory is correct, the United Kingdom should be bursting at the seams with terrorist attacks every second Tuesday blowing up every other apartment in London! The United Kingdom offers us a clear picture of the horrors of visa-free travel and eGate access and the dystopic hellhole such a policy will create. As we can see in the data:
There have been no terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom in 2024.
There were no terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom in 2023.
There were no terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom in 2022.
One person died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2021. The perpetrator is a British citizen.
Three people died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2020. The perpetrator was a legal refugee.
Two people died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2019. The perpetrator was a British citizen.
No one died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2018.
Forty-six people died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2017.
One member of parliament was assassinated by a Neo-Nazi British citizen in the United Kingdom in 2016.
No one died due to terrorism in the United Kingdom in 2015.
If we investigate the attacks in 2017, the first one was perpetrated by Khalid Masood, who was a British citizen. The second and worst attack was by Salman Abedi, and he was a British citizen as well. There were warnings about Abedi, but intelligence ignored them. Khurum Shazad Butt was also a British citizen. Darren Osborne is also a British citizen.
Everyone who has committed a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom in the last ten years was legally living in Britain. All but one were British citizens, and the other one was a legal refugee. None were tourists.
Maybe my hypothesis was wrong? It seems we are being misled that the solution to terrorism is the mass surveillance of tourists. Tourists are not a source of terrorism.
The appropriate methods to counter these terrorist attacks, which appear to now be used by British intelligence, is to listen to tip-offs and follow up on leads. It has worked. There have been no successful terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom in 3 years.
You can be a safe and free society while not just having visa-free travel but letting some foreigners even use eGates, and you won’t see an uptick in terrorism!
We need a new tourism and economics lobbying group to provide a balanced viewpoint on these issues, namely:
- Visa-free travel needs to be the default. eVisas should only be used when there is a serious security threat, not as a default.
- Follow up properly on reports that someone is dangerous. Properly following up on tip-offs and using probable cause is the most effective tool we have in fighting terrorism, not unwarranted surveillance.
- Work visas need to be available so people can work here legally.
- The reasons behind these false promises are the very real threat of terrorism. Visa-free travel has never been used widely by terrorists to harm democracies. We need a comprehensive policy to fight terrorism with the following planks:
- Proper funding is needed to counter money laundering globally. Countries that do not comply will be sanctioned. Countries that cooperate will receive massive economic and travel benefits.
- Severe visa restrictions on countries that are found to foster terrorism. Visa-free travel for countries that cooperate.
I believe there is a lot we can do to fight terrorism more meaningfully, targeted, and efficiently. I am an American, and I believe in the Fifth Amendment. Implementing high levels of security for everyone without probable cause is contrary to American values and fiscally irresponsible. We need a system that accurately targets real security threats without wasting resources on non-threats.
It must be easy for a country to prove it is not a threat, for which it will receive travel and trade benefits.
The punishment for not cooperating by supporting terrorism needs to be severe.
We do not have to choose between security and freedom; we can have both or neither.
End ESTA. It is political snake oil. Implement visa-free travel for our partners.
It’s time to refocus our efforts on methods that work and follow our American values.
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