The Paris terror attacks have caused a bipartisan effort to reform the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which may affect two Spanish-speaking countries.

Citizens from 38 countries' citizens are allowed to visit the U.S. without obtaining a standard visa, or a visa waiver. Two of the 38 countries include Chile and Spain, while the rest of the predominately Spanish-speaking countries must partake in the visa process.

Senators, however, have introduced legislation to strengthen the VWP process in an effort to prevent terrorists from entering the U.S.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., introduced the "Visa Waiver Program Security Enhancement Act" (S.2337) on Tuesday. With S. 2337, travelers using the VWP will require to submit biometric information, including fingerprints and a photograph, before entering the U.S. All VWP travelers will be required to use an electronic passport, as the senators claim it would be "more secure and harder to tamper with."

"In the wake the Paris terrorist attacks, it's important that Congress work together in a meaningful way to ensure that those who would do us harm on our own soil are unable to do so," Flake said in a statement. "Passing this bipartisan bill to strengthen the highly-beneficial Visa Waiver Program so that it cannot be exploited by individuals who may have ties to terrorism in Iraq and Syria will be an effective start."

Noting that the Paris terror attacks were committed by French and Belgian nationals, two countries that are involved in the VWP, Feinstein said it would have been for terrorists to travel to the U.S. through the VWP.

"As growing numbers of foreign nationals travel to the Middle East to train and fight, and with 45 million lost and stolen passports on the black market, we must do all we can to secure the program," Feinstein said. "Strengthening the program will require collecting additional information from travelers before they arrive and require participating countries to share valuable information and intelligence with us. Gaps in the security of the Visa Waiver Program must be addressed as soon as possible."

A major provision of the bill pertains to individuals who have traveled to Iraq or Syria. The bill would require individuals -- even those living among the 38 VWP countries -- to acquire a traditional tourist visa, instead of applying through the VWP, if the traveler traveled to either Iraq or Syria in the last five years.

As Latin Post reported, the Obama administration has instructed federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), to enhance VWP procedures. The DHS has been tasked to immediately modify its Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications to include previous travel destination information from a VWP traveler, particularly if the individual visited a country deemed as a "terrorist safe haven." The DHS can also offer assistance to any interested VWP-participating countries in screening asylum seekers and refugees.

The DHS and FBI will also work on reports to the president about the VWP, noting its deficiencies and advancements.

Feinstein has commended the Obama administration's decision on Tuesday.

"We must do everything we can to prevent foreign fighters from exploiting the program. We must also increase the overall security of the visa waiver system by strengthening our intelligence sharing agreements with participating countries and collecting fingerprints and photographs before travelers board planes to visit the United States," said Feinstein, adding she looks forward to working with the administration to further advance S. 2237 "as quickly as possible."

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