US restricts visas for 27 Latin Americans over corruption and drug trafficking
Washington imposes visa restrictions on citizens from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru linked to corruption or drug trafficking. Among those affected is Bolivia's attorney general, Roger Mariaca.
Washington sanctions 27 Latin Americans with visa restrictions for corruption and drug trafficking
The United States government announced on Monday a series of restrictive measures against 27 citizens from Western Hemisphere countries linked, according to US authorities, to acts of corruption or drug trafficking that undermine democratically elected governments, according to telemundo51.com.
Among those affected is Roger Mariaca, attorney general of Bolivia. The list also includes citizens from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, along with their respective family groups.
Thomas Pigott, spokesman for the State Department, clarified in a statement that "under the Trump administration, corrupt foreign officials can no longer enter the United States freely". The message, the document added, is that "corrupt officials—and the criminals they protect—are not welcome in the United States".
The measures fall within the commitments assumed during the Doral Summit and reaffirmed in the declaration of leaders of the so-called Shield of the Americas. The State Department implemented them under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides for the coordination of sanctions, designations and financial measures against actors that "undermine security, the rule of law and democracy".
In Bolivia, the restrictions affect 12 citizens and their families, whose existing visas were revoked. Nine other Bolivians without visas were prevented from obtaining them. In Colombia, two citizens and their families face similar restrictions. In Ecuador, the State Department revoked the visas of two people, whose names were not disclosed. In Peru, one citizen had his existing visa revoked.
The statement emphasises that undermining a democratically elected government "represents a threat to security and the rule of law in the Americas" and that such conduct "will not be tolerated".
Source: Google News BO — Crime