The Ministry of the Interior (MAI) "firmly" rejected on Friday any statement related to the lack of cooperation with the American authorities or tolerance towards crime, qualifying as "unfounded" the statements of senator Petrisor Peiu posted on the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) website under the title "Romanians' hopes of entering the Visa Waiver program were shattered by the hybrid regime in power in Bucharest".
"The statements of senator Petrisor Peiu are unfounded, in blatant contradiction with reality, alarmist and risk damaging Romania's efforts to consolidate the strategic partnership with the United States of America. The Ministry of the Interior, through the specialized structures of the Romanian Police, has carried out constant activity in combating organized crime. Thus, 116 organized criminal groups were dismantled in 2024, in cooperation with domestic and international partners," the Ministry of the Interior said in a release sent to AGERPRES.
According to the cited source, illegal migration in Romania decreased as a result of the "firm" actions of the authorities, by 84% in 2024 compared to 2023. The result of these actions was the basis for the success of the negotiations in the Schengen accession process, the Ministry of the Interior highlighted.
"There is currently no official communication from the U.S. authorities regarding the modification of the calendar for Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program, and Romania has been favorably assessed by the U.S. authorities about the fulfillment of the technical criteria of the program," the MAI added.
In June 2024, high-level bilateral consultations were held with representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State, followed by the final assessment in October 2024, following which the U.S. side confirmed that Romania fully meets all the technical criteria for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, official data resulting from the exchange of information between Romania and the U.S. contradict senator Peiu's statements because, in January and February 2025, only six cases of Romanian citizens found illegally crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S. were recorded, while no such incident was reported at the Canadian-U.S. border.
Romania actively cooperates with U.S. authorities in the field of security, and a concrete example is the operationalization, starting with September 2024, of the Border Security Partnership with DHS, which allows automated data exchange, real-time checks and access to the U.S. database with over 285 million identities, the Ministry of the Interior explained.
"Biometrics have been introduced in the process of granting Romanian citizenship - in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior has implemented the collection of biometric data of citizenship applicants and introduced the Romanian citizenship card, increasing the transparency and security of this process," the Ministry of the Interior's press release reads.
Romania has met all the technical requirements of the Visa Waiver Program, confirmed by American strategic partners, the Ministry of the Interior concluded, adding that senator Petridor Peiu's statements are "contradicted" by documented reality and "risk creating an erroneous perception among public opinion and international partners."
AGERPRES
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