The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on May 2 that it rescinded Romania's Visa Waiver Program designation "in order to protect the integrity of the  Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and to ensure border and immigration security."

The US Administration's position on Romania's VWP participation is indirectly supporting the isolationists' rhetoric in Romania, particularly supporting far-right candidate George Simion, who already won the first round of the presidential elections on May 4.

The decision may be based on Romania's failure to address (prosecute) the criminality generated in the US by its own nationals trespassing the Mexican border.

But the political dimension of the gesture cannot be ignored because of the timing (a couple of days before the presidential elections in Romania) and converging comments from a faction of the US Administration. Such comments have questioned the fairness of the presidential elections in Romania (annulled on December 6 on alleged interference of Russia)  and the ban on the candidacy of the isolationist candidate with fascist rhetoric, Călin Georgescu. The case of Romania's annulled elections later served the MAGA faction in the US Administration in launching attacks against the entire European Union.

DHS put Romania's VWP designation on ice for further review with no explanation on March 25, a week before it was supposed to come into force. 

"Despite security concerns, the Biden Administration designated Romania as a VWP country on January 9, 2025," DHS explained on May 2.

DHS said that Romania may be reconsidered for VWP designation in the future "should they meet the statutory eligibility criteria" – without explaining the precise criteria Romania has breached since the Biden Administration concluded full compliance last year.

"Romania has regretfully learned that the United States DHS has decided to reconsider Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver program," Romania's Foreign Ministry commented in a statement.

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iulian@romania-insider.com