Planning faulted, again

Sunday, June 29, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

A U.S. program granting special travel status to the residents of 27 nations will end in January for security reasons, and a new federal report says American embassies in those nations are on track to be overwhelmed with visa applications.

Contrary to their past experiences, visitors from those countries will be subject to electronic screening by the Homeland Security Department.

Those who fail the screening will need to apply for visas if they wish to visit the United States — a process that federal auditors say could double the number of visa requests at our embassies in Great Britain, Japan and throughout most of Western Europe.

American embassies aren’t prepared for such an increase, and Homeland Security officials haven’t developed a plan for handling the impending backlog, the Government Accountability Office says.

The GAO estimates that up to 5 percent of visitors from these favored nations could be rejected by the new electronic screening process, which means the roughly 500,000 visas already granted for the now favored nations will double.

Tom Casey, State Department spokesman, told The Wall Street Journal this week that agency officials “are confident that we can respond appropriately to any changes in the demand for visas.”

It is a dubious claim that brings to mind the State Department’s abysmal effort at handling the massive increase in passport requests last year when new Homeland Security regulations required them for Americans traveling to Canada and Mexico. Previously, U.S. travelers visiting those countries needed only a driver’s license or other official photo identification.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told the Journal that “sound planning is just as important” as quickly putting new security measures into place.

Planning has never been a hallmark of the Bush administration. President Bush even launched this nation into war without a comprehensive plan. That the administration would launch a major change in national security processes without adequate preparation is disappointing, but certainly no surprise.