President Donald Trump’s administration has removed the privileges that allowed people to travel to the United States from Romania without obtaining a visa.
The move comes after the nation’s presidential election was annulled last year and the lead candidate, populist independent Călin Georgescu, was arrested and barred from running again.
Toward the end of his term, former President Joe Biden added Romania to a list of countries eligible for the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The controversial move came despite growing national security concerns.
According to Breitbart, in a move announced Friday, Trump, the U.S. State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just reversed that poorly thought-out, Biden-era decision.
Reports indicated that the removal of Romania from the list was finalized “after a review of the Eastern European country’s admittance was concluded.”
The program is quite the privilege for foreign nationals from countries on the VWP list, as it allows them to travel to the United States without a visa and stay for up to 90 days, visa-free.
The country’s VWP status certainly didn’t last long, as Biden had only added Romania to the list in January. The DHS announced that it had planned to remove the country in March.
Breitbart noted:
“Countries eligible for the VWP must meet particular criteria, including having a visa overstay rate that is less than three percent.
“Romania, in 2024, had an overstay rate of 2.61 percent, but in 2023, its overstay rate was nearly 9 percent, nearly 13 percent in 2022, and more than 17 percent in 2021.”
A senior White House official explained the decision to Breitbart.
“The Administration notes with increasing concern the recent developments across Europe of democratic backsliding,” the official reportedly said.
“Efforts to suppress the will of the people draw into question the strength of our shared values.”
The White House official added:
“Healthy democracies do not fear opposing perspectives.
“Concerted efforts to delegitimize certain political perspectives draw a striking resemblance to the American experience that President Trump faced, including lawfare and censorship.”
The United States is revoking Romania’s inclusion in the U.S. visa waiver program less than four months after an announcement that it would be added. pic.twitter.com/h8n8Oplmp5
— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) May 3, 2025
Many users across social media weighed in on the development, with some backing it and some criticizing the decision.
“Good,” one X user wrote.
“They should do the same for Germany, France, and U.K as they also are descending into fascism.
“In fact all of EU is on the wrong track.”
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