Radio Interview Los Angeles
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KPFK: Analysts at the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy released a report today stating the US economy has lost as much as $101 billion by excessively denying visas to Arab business and tourist travelers since 9/11. Grant Smith is the director of research at the institute. He says there is a direct correlation between the percentage of visas approved and a downturn in relationships between US and Arab countries. As a result, the US is losing significant trading opportunities with Arab nations which are increasingly choosing to do business with more welcoming markets, such as those found in Asia.
IRmep: In this case, by having a “broad brush” approach, in which the executive who goes to visit Detroit to handle distribution of, say, the Ford Taurus, is being denied visas year after year after year, because he is being painted with the same broad (security) brush as tourists who have never come to the United States, that’s too broad an approach. What we’re arguing in the report “Visa Denied” is that the opportunity cost is much greater than the cost of simply having more sophisticated filters and security. In particular, we need more qualified personnel working in counselor offices. Right now the ratio is something like 1 person for every 4,000 applicants. Our argument is that the billions of dollars of trade potential that we lose for under manning and understaffing that key operation, is costing us dearly.