The U.S. State Department announced that it would restrict visa issuance to “individuals from countries in the hemisphere who support adversaries that undermine U.S. interests in our region.”
Thursday’s statement highlighted that 26 people have already had their visas revoked as part of the policy.
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The State Department’s stance comes as President Donald Trump seeks to expand U.S. influence across the Western Hemisphere as part of a platform he calls the “Don Roe Doctrine,” a play on the 19th century Monroe Doctrine.
Since taking office for his second term, President Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward curbing drug trafficking across the Americas, threatening violators with economic sanctions and military action.
He also sought to check China’s growing influence in the region, as more Latin American countries strengthen ties with the Asian superpower.
The State Department said the expanded visa restrictions would punish anyone who “knowingly directs, authorizes, funds, or provides significant support” to adversaries of the United States in the Western Hemisphere.
“Activities include, but are not limited to, enabling an adversary to acquire or control major assets or strategic resources in our hemisphere, destabilizing regional security efforts, undermining U.S. economic interests, and conducting influence operations aimed at undermining national sovereignty and stability in our region,” the statement added.
Its language was vague and never mentioned campaigns against China or drug-trafficking cartels.
However, the trend of canceling visas for foreign critics and political opponents continues under the Trump administration.
Last year, for example, the administration sought to cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian protesters, saying their presence could influence U.S. foreign policy.
Most recently, the regime terminated entry visas for at least seven individuals with family ties to the Iranian government or the 1979 Iranian revolution.
visa cancellation
Thursday’s statement did not specify the 26 people facing visa restrictions as part of the expansion policy.
But it cited the same authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act that the Trump administration used last year to try to deport pro-Palestinian student protesters.
The law allows the Secretary of State to restrict the entry of foreign nationals if there is reason to believe that the foreign national “may have a material adverse foreign policy impact on the United States.”
Although the regime has abandoned deportation efforts for some of the targets, at least two, Mahmoud Khalil and Badar Khan Suri, continue to face deportation.
Most recently, the regime terminated entry visas for at least seven individuals with family ties to the Iranian government or the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Some Latin American people have already had their visas revoked due to political differences with the United States.
In July, the US visas of Brazilian officials involved in the prosecution of right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro were revoked. Among them was Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a frequent target of right-wing ire.
Then, in September, the Trump administration revoked Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he attended the United Nations General Assembly and criticized U.S. policy.
The State Department at the time accused Petro of “reckless and inflammatory conduct.” He was then invited to visit the White House in February as part of efforts to ease tensions with President Trump.
The visa restrictions were part of President Trump’s larger policy to put pressure on foreign groups and restrict immigration to the United States.
Earlier this year, the administration enacted immigrant visa bans on dozens of countries, citing both national security and the alleged strain on social services.
President Trump has also called the entire Western Hemisphere the United States’ “neighborhood,” and has sought to take a more militaristic approach toward Latin American governments he views as hostile.
The United States launched an attack on Venezuela in January that ultimately led to the abduction and imprisonment of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, as well as an ongoing fuel blockade against Cuba.
Some of President Trump’s actions in this region have been deadly. Dozens of Cubans and Venezuelans were killed in the Venezuelan attack. And since September, the Trump administration has carried out at least 51 deadly attacks on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
The death toll from the operation reached at least 177 people. Human rights groups condemned the attack as an extrajudicial killing.
However, the Trump administration labeled several drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and claimed that they were trying to destabilize the United States through drug trafficking.
