Yesterday the State Department announced that almost a year after the attacks on New York and Washington, they were finally shutting down the disgraceful “Visa Express” program that allows Saudis to obtain visas without being interviewed.

Today the Arab News is reporting that the State Department has still not shut down the program: Reports about ‘Visa Express’ program grossly exaggerated.

According to an article appearing in The Washington Times, the US State Department canceled the program effective yesterday (July 20) because of strong criticism from the US Congress.

The article in the Washington newspaper goes on to quote an official at the US Embassy who stated neither the embassy nor any US Consulate will process visa applications forwarded to them by travel agencies. Arab News contacted a local travel agency and a courier service, both of which are still using the “Visa Express” and were unaware of the program’s cancellation.

The representative from one travel agency said, “We have no such information about this and we will continue providing the service until we are told to stop.”

The “Visa Express” program processes visa applications to the United States in as little as 24 hours. According to the US Embassy’s public relations office, the program is still in effect but will be restructured.

Even more amazingly, State is trying to spin the criticism as “erroneous” even though three of the 9/11 hijackers got their visas through the program!

In Washington, however, State Department spokeswoman Jo-Anne Prokopowicz said “Visa Express” had been ended as a direct result of persistent erroneous news reports that claimed applications received through the program were not thoroughly evaluated and had allowed terrorists to enter the United States.

“We are taking this action because, despite repeated clarifications by the department that every visa is reviewed and adjudicated by an American consular officer, erroneous media reports have created a false perception that threatens to undermine public confidence,” she told AFP.

(Via Joel Rosenberg.)