[REVISION HISTORY]

US visa restrictions in Latin America

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-23 14:09 UTC → 2026-10-25 14:57 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The United States has begun utilizing visa controls as a geopolitical tool to influence Latin American nations and combat regional issues. This ~~strategy includes targeting~~ strategy, integrated into a broader effort of hemispheric reconfiguration by the Trump administration, targets individuals for corruption and criminal ties to secure cooperation and address hemispheric security. In Mexico, the revocation of a visa belonging to Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former President López Obrador, led to accusations of interference from President Claudia Sheinbaum. The incident resulted in demands for the dismissal of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Undersecretary Christopher Landau. Expanding these measures, the US Department of State announced visa restrictions for 61 individuals from Bolivia and Colombia under the ‘Escudo de las Américas’ regional initiative. These actions, implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, aim to penalize those suspected of involvement in corruption or narcotics trafficking that undermine democratically elected governments. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Department of State is expanding its campaign against corruption and narcotics in the region. In Colombia, the restrictions target 21 individuals, including former Ecopetrol president Ricardo Roa Barragán, Sincelejo Mayor Yahir Acuña, Senator-elect Wadith Manzur, Representative-elect Karen Manrique, and former legislators Julio Elías Chagüí, Liliana Bitar, and José Ignacio ~~Mesa, as well as their immediate family members.~~ Mesa. In Bolivia, the measures affect 40 people, including 15 officials and 25 direct family ~~members. Named Bolivian individuals include~~ members, such as former Attorney General Juan Lanchipa ~~Ponce, former FELCN director Freddy Bismarck, former Migration Director Katherine Calderón, and deputies Rafael Darío López Mercado~~ Ponce and ~~Rolando Santos Pacheco Chávez. Following the announcement,~~ judges Aldo Quezada ~~resigned~~ and Julio Alba Flores. In Bolivia, former Chancellor Ronald MacLean suggested that restrictions could extend to President Rodrigo Paz’s cabinet, noting the trend has moved from ~~his post as~~ the judiciary and parliament to other sectors. Vice President of Edmand Lara indicated the ~~Santa Cruz Departmental Court of Justice. The Bolivian~~ government ~~stated it~~ will ~~not provide protection or impunity for those under investigation.~~ request clarification from the US Department of State regarding why certain names were omitted from recent lists.

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