US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner Robert Bonner has announced 12 August that CBP officers have new discretion to grant a one-time parole to no-risk travellers who have committed a minor violation in the past. The new policy will end detention and handcuffing of visitors who overstayed on a prior visit under the Visa Waiver Programme. Bonner said that treatment was inappropriate for minor violations. "US Customs and Border Protection is a law enforcement agency, but enforcement must always be tempered with common sense. If individuals are not a potential terrorist threat or criminal threat; nor are likely to contribute to the illegal population, and the overstay was short and inadvertent or for reasons beyond the applicant's control, CBP officers and supervisors have the authority to parole them into the United States," he said. The Visa Waiver Programme permits nationals from 27 designated countries to apply for admission to the US for 90 days or less as non-immigrant visitors for business or pleasure without first obtaining a visa. Under the visa waiver regulation, those who overstay as part of this programme must obtain a visa for subsequent US visits. "I have concluded that there is an urgent humanitarian reason and a significant public benefit in granting parole where an individual seeking admission under the Visa Waiver Programme poses no risk whatsoever," the commissioner said.
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