Washington Cancels Visas for Officials from Latin America and Their Families on Corruption Charges

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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is working to revoke the visas of 27 current and former officials from Latin America and their family members, including the Attorney General of Bolivia, amid corruption allegations.

The officials and their family members hail from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, all of which are countries led by right-wing presidents who have friendly relations with President Donald Trump. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru this month, pledging U.S. support for these countries' efforts to combat drug and human trafficking.

These leaders have complained that many of those targeted for visa revocation have been obstructing their efforts to combat crime.

The State Department announced the visa revocations on Monday, stating that the move comes "to fulfill commitments to defend democratic governance throughout the Western Hemisphere in the face of corruption and drug trafficking."

The ministry stated in a statement: "Undermining a democratically elected government represents a threat to security and the rule of law in the Americas, and it will not be tolerated."

The Trump administration is presenting visa cancellations as part of its broader efforts to combat corruption, particularly related to drug trafficking and illegal immigration, by members of the "Americas Shield" bloc led by the United States in the Western Hemisphere, which Trump established this year.

The State Department has used the denial of travel to the United States as a means to limit immigration or as a tool to pressure certain governments, starting with the ban on entry for officials from South Africa accused of discrimination against whites, up to the refusal to issue visas for the Palestinian delegation to attend the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations.