U.S. State Department Restricts Visas for 26 People Supporting Adversaries in Western Hemisphere

The U.S. State Department announced it is restricting visas for “individuals from countries in our hemisphere who support our adversaries in undermining America’s interests in our region,” and said the policy had already led to visas being stripped from 26 people.

The announcement came as President Donald Trump sought to expand U.S. influence across the Western Hemisphere, with the State Department tying the move to activities that “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, or provide significant support to” U.S. adversaries.

Al Jazeera

In the State Department’s description of the expanded policy, the agency said it would penalize conduct including “enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in our hemisphere” and “conducting influence operations designed to undermine the sovereignty and stability of nations in our region.”

The State Department also said the targeted individuals “will generally be deemed ineligible to enter the US,” and that the action was enforced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Multiple outlets repeated that the State Department did not identify the 26 individuals by name, and that it did not specify which countries Washington considers adversaries.

ThePrint, reporting from Washington on April 16, quoted the State Department saying, “We have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities.”

Anadolu Ajansı similarly reported the State Department imposed visa restrictions on 26 individuals and described the move as a “significant expansion” of an existing visa restriction policy.

The State Department’s written statement, as reproduced by multiple outlets, laid out a broad set of activities that could trigger visa restrictions for people in the Western Hemisphere who are acting on behalf of adversaries.

The policy targets individuals who, while in countries in the Western Hemisphere, are “intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries, their agents or companies,” and who “knowingly direct, authorize, fund, or provide significant support to” adversarial activities.

Al Jazeera

Among the examples the State Department listed were “enabling adversarial powers to acquire or control key assets and strategic resources in our hemisphere,” “destabilising regional security efforts,” and “undermining American economic interests.”

The statement also included “conducting influence operations designed to undermine the sovereignty and stability of nations in our region,” which was quoted in full by Newsweek and also by the Times of India.

Newsweek described the policy as a “significant expansion” and said the State Department would restrict visas for people in Western Hemisphere countries who are “intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries.”

The Times of India reproduced the State Department’s language that “These individuals – and their immediate family members – will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States.”

Anadolu Ajansı likewise said the statement did not specify which countries Washington considers adversaries or the identities of those targeted.

The visa restrictions were presented in the coverage as part of a wider Trump approach to the Western Hemisphere, with the State Department’s language and the surrounding reporting linking the policy to U.S. national security and regional influence.

Al Jazeera said the State Department’s stance came as President Donald Trump sought to expand U.S. influence across the Western Hemisphere, describing a platform he called the “Donroe Doctrine,” a riff on the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.

Al Jazeera also said that since taking office for a second term, Trump had taken an aggressive stance towards stopping drug trafficking across the Americas, threatening economic penalties and military action for noncompliance.

The same report said Trump sought to check China’s growing sway over the region, as Latin American countries tightened their bonds with the Asian superpower.

It further stated that the State Department’s language was “vague, never mentioning China or the campaign against drug-trafficking cartels,” while continuing “a trend under the Trump administration to revoke visas from foreign critics and political opponents.”

Al Jazeera cited prior visa actions, including that last year the administration sought to revoke visas for pro-Palestine protesters and more recently terminated immigration visas for at least seven individuals with familial ties to the Iranian government or individuals connected to the 1979 Iranian revolution.

It also described a sequence of visa withdrawals involving Latin American officials, including that in July Brazilian officials involved in the prosecution of former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro saw their U.S. visas withdrawn, and that in September the Trump administration stripped Colombian President Gustavo Petro of his visa after he made an appearance at the UN General Assembly that was critical of U.S. policy.

While the core policy description was consistent across outlets, the framing and emphasis varied, particularly around what the policy was meant to accomplish and how much detail was provided.

Al Jazeera focused on the State Department’s rationale and the broader political pattern, noting that the language was “vague, never mentioning China or the campaign against drug-trafficking cartels,” and describing the measure as part of a trend to revoke visas from “foreign critics and political opponents.”

Anadolu Ajansı

Newsweek emphasized the mechanics of the restriction, saying the change would allow authorities to restrict visas for people who have been “intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries,” and it repeated the State Department’s list of activities including “conducting influence operations designed to undermine the sovereignty and stability of nations in our region.”

The Times of India reproduced the State Department’s full statement and highlighted the agency’s claim that “To demonstrate our commitment to this expanded policy, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 26 individuals across our hemisphere who have engaged in these activities.”

Anadolu Ajansı, by contrast, placed the move in a timeline tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, stating that following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, Trump administration officials defended the move by saying it was to prevent the country from falling under the control of rivals such as China, Russia and Iran.

Punch Newspapers also stressed the national security framing, quoting the State Department that “These individuals — and their immediate family members — will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States,” and it described the action as building on broader efforts since taking office in January 2025.

ThePrint and Devdiscourse both centered on the fact that the State Department imposed restrictions on 26 individuals, with ThePrint quoting the statement and Devdiscourse repeating that “In total, 26 individuals within the hemisphere have been subjected to these visa restrictions.”

The immediate consequence described by the State Department and repeated by outlets was that the 26 targeted individuals, along with their immediate family members, would be generally ineligible to enter the United States.

The policy was described as being enforced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the government to exclude foreign nationals whose entry would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.

Associated Press

Al Jazeera said the State Department’s Thursday statement did not identify the 26 individuals facing visa restrictions, but it cited the same authority used in attempts to deport pro-Palestine student protesters last year, and it said at least two individuals, Mahmoud Khalil and Badar Khan Suri, continued to face expulsion.

In addition to the visa restrictions, Newsweek’s report placed the announcement within a wider set of immigration and visa changes, including that the administration expanded its visa bond program for B‑1 and B‑2 visas and that certain applicants may be required to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 before a visa is issued.

Newsweek also said that starting on April 1, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began requiring H-1B petitions to be filed using a newly revised Form I-129.

The same Newsweek report cited a study by Shorelight that found the global adjusted refusal rate for F-1 visas rose to 35 percent in 2025, up from 31 percent in 2024, and described it as the highest rate recorded over the 2015-2025 period examined.

The State Department’s statement itself, as quoted by nepyork, said, “The Trump Administration will use every available tool to protect our national security interests, defend American interests, and promote our region’s safety and prosperity,” underscoring that enforcement was intended to be ongoing.