US: Feds want to fine airline for travellers without visas
The federal government is proposing to restore US$1.7m a year in fines against airlines that bring travelers to the US without current passports and visas. A 1996 regulation was overturned in 2009 by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals because the State Department and former Immigration and Naturalization Service didn’t work together on it. But State and Customs and Border Protection jointly proposed Tuesday to overhaul the regulation to fine airlines up to $4,300 for each traveller who arrives without proper documentation because the rules have become inconsistent in the last two decades. CBP can waive the requirement for documents in an unforeseen emergency. But even if the document requirement is waived, CBP said fines against airlines could total $1.7m per year for 950 violations, based on the average number of cases during the past five years, if the proposed regulation is adopted. “The objective of this regulation is to allow CBP to waive the requirement of proper entry documents for non-immigrants in an unforeseen emergency while still retaining the ability to fine the carrier for transporting an alien to the United States without proper entry documentation,” Jeh Johnson, secretary of homeland secretary, said in the 24-page proposal. Airlines have fought the fines in federal court in the past, but said they comply with federal regulations.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/imagelibrary/news/hot-topics/2016-03-09/general/us-feds-want-to-fine-airline-for-travellers-without-visas
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US: Feds want to fine airline for travellers without visas
The federal government is proposing to restore US$1.7m a year in fines against airlines that bring travelers to the US without current passports and visas. A 1996 regulation was overturned in 2009 by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals because the State Department and former Immigration and Naturalization Service didn’t work together on it. But State and Customs and Border Protection jointly proposed Tuesday to overhaul the regulation to fine airlines up to $4,300 for each traveller who arrives without proper documentation because the rules have become inconsistent in the last two decades. CBP can waive the requirement for documents in an unforeseen emergency. But even if the document requirement is waived, CBP said fines against airlines could total $1.7m per year for 950 violations, based on the average number of cases during the past five years, if the proposed regulation is adopted. “The objective of this regulation is to allow CBP to waive the requirement of proper entry documents for non-immigrants in an unforeseen emergency while still retaining the ability to fine the carrier for transporting an alien to the United States without proper entry documentation,” Jeh Johnson, secretary of homeland secretary, said in the 24-page proposal. Airlines have fought the fines in federal court in the past, but said they comply with federal regulations.<br/>
