Politics

Obama promises ‘to accelerate our ability to process visas by 40 percent’ [VIDEO]

Nicholas Ballasy Senior Video Reporter
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President Barack Obama told a crowd at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., that he is “directing the State Department to accelerate our ability to process visas by 40 percent.”

Touting the Global Entry program, Obama said the federal government wants “more folks to have an easier time coming to the United States.”

“Let’s also realize that in the years ahead, more and more tourists are going to come from countries not currently in this program, countries with rapidly growing economies, huge populations and emerging middle classes; countries like China and India and, especially important for — here in Florida, Brazil, a huge population that loves to come to Florida,” Obama said to applause Thursday.

“But we make it too hard for them. More and more of their people can now afford to visit America who couldn’t come before; and in fact, over the next four years, the tourists traveling from those countries we expect to more than double. But we want them coming right here. We want them spending money here — in Orlando, in Florida, in the United States of America — which will boost our businesses and our economy.”

He continued, “So today, I’m directing the State Department to accelerate our ability to process visas by 40 percent in China and in Brazil this year. We’re not — we’re not talking about five years from now or 10 years from now — this year.”

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