The US demands that the EU tighten border controls for residents of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

The administration of US President Joe Biden has warned authorities in the EU and several member states to tighten measures against arriving migrants from Central Asia, Bloomberg reports. US authorities are now asking the European Union to require transit visas from arriving citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The measures are part of an ongoing effort to obtain information about individuals who may be trying to enter the United States, according to a source familiar with the EU warnings. In response, European officials said that it would be faster and more effective to contact directly with the countries that are members of the union, since the adoption of pan-European rules will take longer. White House officials declined to comment.

This decision was made due to US concern about the flow of possible terrorists seeking to enter the country. Earlier this year, there was an incident in which a group of migrants entered the United States through the border with Mexico with the help of a smuggler associated with the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). His connection to the terrorist organization was discovered only after the migrants had already arrived in the United States. This has raised concerns about passengers transiting through European airports and planning to eventually enter the United States. At the same time, CNN reported back in August that the FBI was conducting investigations into more than a dozen citizens of Uzbekistan and other countries who applied to the United States for asylum. The FBI found no terrorist threats from migrants following its investigation, the classified report said.