米、発展途上国の渡航者から保証金徴収　最大１５７万円　不法移民対策で

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国は不法移民をめぐるドナルド・トランプ政権の新たな強硬策として、来月から期間限定でイランやミャンマー、アフリカ諸国などからの渡航者に査証（ビザ）を発給する際に、最大1万5000ドル（約157万円）の保証金の支払いを義務付ける。（写真は資料写真）
　この規則は来月２４日に施行され、６か月間試験運用される。だが、米大統領選で当選を確実にした民主党のジョー・バイデン氏は移民政策の緩和を公約しており、来年１月２０日の大統領就任後もこの運用を継続するかは不明だ。
　連邦行政命令集（官報）に２４日に掲載された公示書によると、保証金の納付は米政府による不法滞在者（オーバーステイ）強制送還の費用補助を目的としている。
　短期商用・観光ビザ「Ｂ」による訪米者は、保証金最大１万５０００ドルの支払いが必要となり、ビザの有効期限以内に出国したことを示さない場合は移民・関税執行局（ＩＣＥ）に没収される。
　２３か国からの渡航者が対象で、公示書によると、これらの国からの入国者による不法滞在は１０％超に上るという。
　２３か国の大半はスーダンやコンゴ民主共和国などのアフリカ諸国で、その他にイラン、ミャンマー、アフガニスタン、ブータンなどが含まれている。
　イランからの入国については、トランプ氏が２０１６年の大統領選で公約した「イスラム教徒の入国禁止」の一環として、すでに厳しく制限していた。バイデン氏はこうした制限を撤回する方針を示している。
　留学生やビザが免除されている先進国からの旅行者には、保証金は免除される。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/11/26-16:32）

The United States will temporarily require visitors from Iran, Myanmar and a number of African nations to pay up to $15,000 in visa bonds in a new hardline immigration measure enacted late in Donald Trump's presidency.
The rule took effect Tuesday for a duration of six months, although it remains to be seen if it will be maintained by President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on January 20 and has promised to be more welcoming to the rest of the world.
The pilot program is designed to make up the costs to the US government of deporting foreigners who overstay their visas, according to a notice published in the Federal Register by Carl Risch, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.
Visitors on B visas, which are issued for short-term business and tourism, will be asked to pay up to $15,000, which will be forfeited to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency if they do not prove that they have left on time.
The rule will apply to citizens of 23 countries that, according to the declaration, have overstay rates of more than 10 percent.
Most of the countries are in Africa, including Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Other nations on the list include Iran, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Bhutan. Trump has already sharply curtailed travel from Iran -- part of his Muslim ban promised during his 2016 campaign, which Biden plans to rescind.
The bonds will not affect students or travelers from fellow developed countries who are exempt from visas to enter the United States.
Contrary to the general practice for changes to immigration rules, the Trump administration launched the bonds abruptly without a period for public comment and review.
The State Department official defended the streamlined timeframe by saying that the issue was a matter of conducting foreign relations and hence not subject to the usual process.
The Pilot Program is being studied as a potential diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure that their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits, Risch's filing said.
The justification is at odds with the summary in the same filing which said the program was meant to reduce the burden to the US government and does not aim to assess whether issuing visa bonds will be effective in reducing the number of aliens who overstay.