The U.S. State Department on Monday announced U.S. visa restrictions against 27 Latin American nationals due to their efforts in undermining democratically elected governments in the Western Hemisphere.
The list of targeted individuals includes current and former government officials, lawmakers, members of the judiciary, police officers, judges, businessmen, and other nationals from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru — all members of the U.S.-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C), also known as the Shield of the Americas.
The targeted Latin American government officials and their respective immediate relatives have either had their existing U.S. visas revoked, or are now barred from obtaining one.
State Department Spokesman Thomas Pigott said in a statement:
Under the Trump Administration, corrupt foreign officials can no longer freely enter the United States. Today the Department of State is taking actions to fulfill the commitments to defend democratic governance across our hemisphere against corruption and narco-trafficking made at the Doral Summit and reaffirmed in the Shield of the Americas leaders’ statement of September 22.
Consistent with that statement committing to coordination of sanctions, designations, and financial actions against terrorists and criminals who undermine security, rule of law, and democracy, the Department is announcing a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
He explained that the policy restricts U.S. visas for foreign nationals (and their immediate family members) who undermine a democratically elected government through either corruption or drug-trafficking.
“Undermining a democratically-elected government is a threat to security and the rule of law in the Americas and will not be tolerated,” Pigott emphasized. “This is a durable mechanism that allows the United States to act quickly, in coordination with our partners, as evidence develops.”
The majority of the targeted individuals are nationals from Bolivia, including 12 individuals and their respective families whose U.S. visas were revoked. Similarly, nine Bolivian nationals who do not currently possess a U.S. visa and their families have been rendered ineligible to obtain one.
Additionally, the State Department detailed that it is publicly designating Bolivia’s current Attorney General Roger Mariaca for his involvement in significant corruption. Mariaca was elected to his current position for a six-year term in 2024 during the administration of socialist former President Luis Arce, after having previously served as Attorney General of the Santa Cruz department.
The State Department explained that Mariaca “abused his public positions by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate narco-trafficking and helped violent criminals evade justice.” These actions, the State Department noted, endanger President Donald Trump’s efforts to combat narco-terrorism and undermine Bolivia’s democratic institutions that the country — a member of the Shield of the Americas — is trying to strengthen.
“President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s message is simple: corrupt officials – and the criminals they protect – are not welcome in the United States,” Spokesman Pigott stressed.
Attorney General Mariaca responded to the accusations the State Department cited by holding a press conference in which he reportedly claimed that the Shield of the Americas’ determination is “interference” in the nation’s politics and sovereignty. Per El Deber, Mariaca said that the revocation of his U.S. visa came as a “surprise,” but asserted, “As a sovereign state that respects international law, we respect the decisions that each nation makes within its own authority and jurisdiction.”
Mariaca nevertheless emphasized that he will not allow his career and image to be “affected” without the facts being duly clarified at the corresponding institutions.
“Nor can I allow my family, who have stood by me and supported me all these years, to be unfairly dragged into a situation that has nothing to do with them,” he said.
In the case of Colombia, two individuals had their U.S. visas revoked: private businessman Euclides Torres and Senator Martha Isabel Peralta, a lawmaker affiliated with the far-left Historic Pact coalition and the local indigenous movement MAIS. In a brief video published on social media, Sen. Peralta affirmed that she found out her visa was revoked through the media, and announced that she will carry out all “corresponding institutional and administrative” measures to receive a formal explanation from the United States government for the loss of her visa.
Caracol Radio detailed that both Sen. Peralta and Torres are linked to an ongoing probe into allegations of a multi-million-dollar corruption scheme involving Colombia’s UNGRD National Disaster Risk Unit.
In Peru, the State Department’s actions targeted Lima First Circuit Constitutional Court Judge Juan Carlos Núñez Matos, whose U.S. visa was revoked. Infobae pointed out that Judge Núñez Matos is known for issuing rulings favorable to Chinese companies in detriment to Peru’s interests. Most recently, Núñez Mato ruled in January against Peru’s Ositrán port regulator, ordering the institution to abstain from exercising its regulatory functions at the Chanchay port, controlled by China’s Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Peru company.
In the case of Ecuador, the State Department revoked the visas of two unspecified Ecuadorian nationals and their families.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.