Once again the Obama administration is flouting the law by “amending” it, this time to provide a carve-out to Iran on new visa-waiver rules.
The law passed by Congress late last year prohibits participation in America's visa-waiver program by people who have traveled to or are dual citizens of countries that embrace terrorism — Iran, for example. Iran's mullahs blasted the new rule in the run-up to instituting a nuclear agreement with the United States.
With the law's implementation last month, the Obama administration “announced it would expand a provision allowing it to waive the new visa requirement for cases ‘in the law enforcement or national security interest of the United States'” — such as for people who have traveled to Iran for business, The Hill newspaper reports.
Apparently rewriting laws is no big deal after the administration's continual redrafting of ObamaCare. A State Department official assures that decisions to waive visas when they legally would be required will be done on a “case-by-case” basis.
“But you're not allow to break the law on a case-by-case basis,” says Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
The administration's move on the visa law has angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Good. They should respond with a new law that specifically puts the kibosh on any Iran visa-waiver carve-out.
